Under the Radar
by Hipstergecko
Summary: Gohan is living life as a secret superhero, but Videl is making it her business to find him out! How will Gohan manage? Will he fess up? Or will he try to live his life -puts on sunglasses- "Under the Radar"? *applause* Thank you! Thank you! And GOODNIGHT! G/V obviously. Some B/V if you squint. Rated T because adult situations and slight language in later chapters.
1. A Normal Day

**Under the Radar**  
>A fanfic about Gohan and Videl's relationship right before the Buu Saga.<br>For the sake of the storyline, I have decided to postpone the Buu saga until further notice. AhaHA!  
>I tried to keep the characters as close to canon without spoiling everything, but took liberties that I am sure you will discover.<p>

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own DBZ nor claim to own it. All characters belong to the franchise and nothing is mine. Except the plot. Ho yez…

Ch. 1: A normal day

* * *

><p>It had been a month since school started, but Gohan had finally begun to feel "comfortable" with his new routine. School was still in session, Videl was still glaring daggers at him, Sharpner still shunned him, and Erasa kept throwing him winks out of the corner of her eye.<p>

Boring.

Boring, Boring, _Boring_.

There were very few points in his life that he could remember being so mind numbingly bored. Heck even his mother's tirades were more interesting than school was. Gohan sighed. He shouldn't get frustrated with the school or the students. After all it wasn't like he could help that he'd learned all this when he was younger.

Distractedly, Gohan gazed out the window, wondering what Goten was up to. That kid really helped him to forget his troubles. Ever since Dad died….

Letting out a sigh, he pushed darker thoughts from his mind and tried to focus on the lecture. It was tough getting over Goku's death. His guilt from letting his cockiness get the better of him in the fight with cell tore him up on the inside. It wasn't until a few years after Goten was born that Vegeta finally smacked some sense into him.

That's right, Vegeta. Goku's rival and grudging friend.

Gohan had trained himself almost to the point of death, despite the pleas of his family. Yes he was insanely strong, no one ever questioned that. But Gohan felt the urge, no, the _need_ to pay penance. A self-induced repentance paid by overworking his body, giving over to the physical pain, so that no one would ever have to die again. Vegeta had actually encouraged this at first, wanting to see Gohan reach his full potential. However, after a few years, things seemed to slowly get worse for the kid and Vegeta could no longer stand idly by.

Gohan remembered the day, eyes shimmering faintly as the teacher droned on in front of the class.

* * *

><p>It was dark and very, very cold. Gohan looked up from the snow on the top of the world. His hair was long for a child his age and his eyes bore deep dark circles. How long had he been out here? He only knew that it wasn't long enough. Not long enough to make up for his arrogance.<p>

He gritted his teeth against the pain as he shakily struggled to his feet. Hands firmly braced on his knees, he wrestled with the depression, self-doubt, weakness, and guilt that plagued him constantly. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a voice broke in on his thoughts.

"Brat, what are you doing?"

Startled, Gohan stumbled completely upright before falling into the snow once more. "Vegeta!" He exclaimed, his countenance changing from surprise to confusion. The mess of emotions in his head settled as anger crossed his face. "How did you find me?" Gohan all but growled at the short muscular form before him.

Vegeta smirked. "How else? I followed your ki." His a frown replaced his smirk as he looked down at the state Gohan was in. Gohan's energy was extremely low and the child had more wounds across his body than Vegeta had expected.

Gohan's face grew darker. "I didn't ask you to come."

"Of course you didn't fool!" Vegeta snapped. "The woman was worried that you had died or something. The nerve of that wench! Ordering me around like that…" His tirade faded off into low grumbles.

"Just leave me alone."

Vegeta's eyes returned to the boy. "Why? So you could finish 'training'? Don't be stupid, brat." His glare narrowed. "Unless you think that you'd become stronger by dying on everyone."

"At least I wouldn't have to listen to YOU anymore!" Gohan once again pulled himself slowly to feet, sending Vegeta a fierce look. "At least I wouldn't have to put up with being in this hell-hole of a life!" His voice grew louder and louder as he clenched his fists. "At LEAST I wouldn't have to see ANYONE anymore! At least NO ONE would have to PUT UP WITH ME anymore!" Tears at this point had started rolling down the young saiyan's cheeks. "AT LEAST I WOULDN'T HAVE TO BEAR with the GUILT anymore! AT LEAST AT LEAST I'D GET WHAT I DESERVE FOR LETTING DAD DIE!"

A swift blow to the head blew Gohan back about 300 yards. Tumbling and sliding over the snowy ground until finally colliding with a cliff face. Gohan tried to pull himself up, but failed. Groaning, he slumped to the ground, waiting for the oblivion that he searched for with all his heart.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Gohan cursed on the inside as he felt a hand roughly pulling him up by the top of his torn and bloody gi. Something smacked him harshly across the face a few times before he pried his eyes open. Vegeta stood there, holding the small boy at his eye level. He scowled and brought Gohan's face close to his own.

"You stupid, ignorant fool," He said softly, "You had no voice in the matter. Why did Kakarrot _choose_ to die?"

Surprised, Gohan's eyes widened at his tone. He'd never heard Vegeta use such a soft voice. His eyes quickly narrowed and he rasped out the answer.

"Because I screwed up."

A resounding _whack_ tolled out across the mountaintop. Gohan squeezed his eyes shut against the painful open-handed slap Vegeta dealt him.

"I thought you were supposed to be smarter than the other idiots in your family." Vegeta sneered at him. "Remove yourself from the picture for once in your pathetic, selfish little life." He tossed Gohan to the ground once more. "So you made an error. _He_ was the one to choose death. It wasn't his duty to do so."

Gohan rose slowly to his feet once more. "To save the planet then!" He all but shouted at Vegeta.

"Fool spawn of a half-wit!" Vegeta shouted in reply. "Namek's dragon balls would've taken care of the planet!" He sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Kakarrot learned instant transmission and could've restored the planet and defeated cell in an instant," He growled at Gohan, "so there was no need to him throw away his life."

"THEN WHY IS HE DEAD!" Gohan screamed, his meager amount of remaining ki blazing in his eyes. "WHY THE HELL IS HE DEAD!?"

Vegeta looked at him steadily. "So that you could live."

Gohan was thunderstruck. The ki in his eyes faded away.

"Wh… what do you mean?"

"Don't play the idiot with me, brat!" Vegeta growled. "I'm not the one who thinks that death is the easy way out here."

"B-but I was the one who-"

"Yes yes we were all there to watch it too." Vegeta interrupted. "I'm not as stupid as that nuisance Kakarrot. I know that he was protecting you when he took cell away for detonation. Hell, he was probably only thinking of you at the time."

"But I…"

Vegeta shouted, "SHUT your trap and THINK boy!" Before turning his back on him. "You're the fool's SON. He DIED so you could LIVE. THAT'S IT."

"But Vege-"

"NO." Vegeta interrupted again, growing far more annoyed than anticipated. "Training like this is foolish if you are only seeking death! I thought you wanted to grow stronger, not be sniveling in the dirt, begging for punishment." Vegeta turned and stomped over to Gohan, folding his arms, towering above him. "What I hate more than a weakling is an imbecile who has what it takes to get stronger, but decides that his life is worth nothing!" He nearly roared at the boy, "Especially when someone far more powerful gives up his life to save it!"

Gohan sat, stunned into silence. He'd never seen Vegeta like this. He was so adamant. Concerned even.

"Why?"

Vegeta growled low at the small voice coming from Gohan. "Why what?"

"Why do you care?"

Vegeta thought for a moment, reached down and slung the poor defenseless brat over his shoulder. "There are only a few saiyans left, brat. How the hell can I call myself the Prince of all Saiyans if I am the only one?" He slowly lifted off into the air and began flying back to Capsule Corp. "I need a decent sparring partner to become the strongest, and right now, you are the only one who can keep up with me. I am NOT about to let YOU take away my chance to defeat that CURSED THIRD CLASS CLOWN!"

"… I.."

"You WHAT!"

A long pause came, punctuated by struggling breaths as Gohan tried to speak."… I never *sniffle* .. n-never got *sob*… got to s-say goodbye."

Vegeta felt hot tears wet the back of his jacket. Groaning inwardly, Vegeta considered leaving the weakling back on the mountain to die anyway.

"Hn."

"A-and I.." sobbed Gohan, brokenly, "I n-never s-said…"

"Shut it, brat. I don't need to hear your weakness _again_."

Gohan cried quietly into the proud prince's jacket. Vegeta remained silent the rest of the flight. Letting the truth sink in was the best choice. Vegeta frowned darkly to himself. _Stupid woman. I'd better get a decent reward for this. I do NOT want anyone thinking I've gone soft._

* * *

><p>Gohan shook himself from his thoughts by the school bell ringing. It was <em>finally<em> the end of the day! He pulled his bag onto his desk and began fitting his textbooks inside; musing to himself about the reactions he received when he got home.

His mother had been in tears. She was so scared and so angry that she let her emotions override everything. Bulma had been the same way, though Krillin and others of the Z-gang looked relieved that Vegeta had brought him back. Bulma was convinced that he was the one who beat Gohan up so badly, but it was really just the pain Gohan inflicted on himself while training, leaving no room for food or rest. It took a while to sort out the story, but in the end, most everyone was crying, apologizing or laughing with tears streaming down their faces. Piccolo simply smiled and Vegeta scowled, but that was pretty normal anyway.

He'd learned later that Vegeta had volunteered to go after him. He'd really softened up over the years. Yeah he still shouted and ranted and raved and threatened the planet on a daily basis, but Goku was right when he said that Vegeta wasn't all bad. There was more to the saiyan prince than upon first glance. (OOOOH Set up for different fic! I always wanted to make Vegeta a secret softie. :DD)

Gohan continued out of the classroom to his locker, trying to avoid the short raven haired girl storming behind him. He opened his locker and continued to muse upon how his life had changed so drastically in a few short years. He still studied and trained hard, but there was a joy to life now. One that he had missed out on for far too long.

But high school? Nope! Wouldn't have minded missing out on this!

As he shut his locker door, Gohan felt an intense stare at the back of his head. Turning around, he found that Videl had effectively pinned him against the lockers. Her locker, which so happened to be next to his, had the door wide open, blocking one exit. Videl's arm blocked the other escape route as she stood directly in front of him. A little too close for anyone's comfort.

Gohan could feel a prickle up the back of his neck as she stood there. He mustered himself for her onslaught and spoke cheerily.

"Hey Videl!"

"Gohan." She deadpanned.

Sweat began building on Gohan's face. She had a determined look in her eyes, one that spelt trouble for a certain secret superhero.

"Do… uh… can I help you with anything?"

"Yes Gohan, actually, you can."

Gohan's eyes widened. _Crapbaskets. What could she want now?_ Videl had been badgering Gohan for a while now, peppering him with questions as often as she got the chance. She used to just ignore him, but ever since the rise of Saiyaman she had gotten more and more outspoken to him.

Videl smirked up at him. "I want to know how you get to school every day."

"W-why would you want to know something like that?" Gohan managed, "I mean, you asked me this already."

"You didn't tell me anything. Seriously, do you drive a car or plane or…"

"I… I fly." He stammered.

"So you can fly a plane huh? Is it a jetcopter like mine?"

"No no! Nothing so fancy." He slowly closed the locker next to him and began trying to scoot himself away from the intense glare and questioning. "Speaking of flying, I'd better get home before my mother worries about me." As soon as he was far enough away from the girl to turn around, Gohan whirled about and ran for the door. "NicetalkingtoyouVidelbye!"

"HEY! Wait just a second!" Videl dashed after him shouting, "I'm not through with you yet Son Gohan!"

_Well I'm through with the questions!_ Gohan thought to himself as he rounded another corner. _Why can't she just leave me alone? Yeah she thinks I might be Saiyaman, but still! I've given her no reason to suspect me._ He conked himself on the side of the head. _No reason besides the fact that I am a terrible liar and actually AM Saiyaman. And that she doesn't really know me. And that I am the person who could destroy her father's reputation about killing cell. Aaand the fact that I'm too strong to be an average highschooler. _He let out a ragged sigh. _I just hope I can at least last the year…_

Gohan turned another corner only to come face to face with… A dead-end.

_HOW? _Panicked, his eyes darted around the corridor. _Who was the _genius_ who put a dead-end in a school building?Why would you DO that?! If I EVER meet the architect…_

He felt a hand fall firmly on his shoulder. _FRACK._

"Goooooooooohaaaaaaaaan." Videl was panting heavily, eyes lit up in an extremely devious way. "Gotcha."

"S-so you did Videl." He said hesitantly. Suddenly, his eyes alit on his saving grace. A men's restroom. "B-but I can't stay to chat. I reeeeally had to use the restroom and ran to find one you see."

"Ahuh… So tell me, why come to the one at the end on the science wing?" She folded her arms, a triumphant smirk on her face. "You weren't… running away were you?"

"Running away? Pshh… no!" Gohan scoffed. "I just… forgot a textbook in the science wing and since I had to use the restroom I'd come over and get two birds with one…" He trailed off. _I can't believe that just came out of my mouth._

"If I didn't know better," she said, moving in front of the restrooms, "I'd say you were scared."

"Oh… uh, I'm not afraid of you." _You can't hurt me physically at least._

"Well you should be." Videl said matter-of-factually. "I know you are hiding something. And I'm going to find out what it is."

"Is that so?" Gohan chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck out of habit. "I'm not hiding anything Videl! Besides, what would I possibly want to hide from you?" _Besides everything._

She frowned. "I don't know yet. You have behaved suspiciously ever since you got here."

"Well this _is_ my first attempt at public school so…"

She looked him dead in the eye, thinking. After a moment she seemed to have come to a conclusion. "Hmmm.. I guess so. Sorry if I came on too strong." She smirked. "I tend to find out as much about a person as I can. Guess it's from helping out the police all the time. Hopefully I haven't scared you out of public high school forever."

"No no! You haven't scared me at all!" Videl turned and began walking down the hall away from Gohan.

"Well good. I'll see you tomorrow then." She casually threw over her shoulder. Videl turned the corner and walked out of sight.

Gohan almost crumpled with relief. _She bought it! I can't believe she bought it! I let her come to her own conclusions and it worked!_ He strolled down the same hallway, towards the main entrance, with a bounce in his step. _Maybe now things will settle down and we could be friends!_ He hadn't had much luck in that department, though he did chat regularly with Erasa, Sharpner, and Videl, he wasn't as close to them as a friend should be. Gohan spent most of his spare time as Saiyaman and evading one angry Videl. She had follows his scent like she a hound, but she is twice as tenacious! It was as if the vigilante police girl had made Gohan her new pet project.

_Being someone's project is not such a bad thing._ He mused to himself as he left the building. _It certainly made life interesting! _He knew Videl had good intentions, but couldn't get over the fact that she was out for blood. Figuratively speaking of course.

The teenaged saiyan left main campus and made his way down a side street. It was much easier to fly home from the outskirts of town and not the center of it. He paused to see if anyone was near him. Gohan didn't see anyone, but stretched out his senses just in case.

"Augh!" Gohan let out an audible feeling of frustration as he felt a familiar ki nearby. _Videl again? I thought she decided to give it up!_ Growling faintly, Gohan darted behind another building. _Figures she wouldn't just leave it lay._ Sighing, the teen leapt off the ground and landed on the 4 story building behind him. Glancing down, he saw Videl look about wildly, cursing that she had lost her quarry _again._

He chuckled. _It's actually kind of like a game. I hide, and she tries to find me out. Too bad the consequences are too high to actually play it like a game._ He watched as she ran off in another direction to activate her jetcopter. _I wish I didn't have to hide who I was._ Gohan had started out sincerely liking his school. The people there were pretty nice if you could get past all the teasing. Yeah it was boring, but hey you can't win 'em all. Heck he even thought Videl was cool too. She didn't treat him like she wanted something from him and was honest and open from the start.

_Wish I could have been as honest with her as she is with me._ He though reluctantly to himself as he switched his watch to Saiayaman mode. The ensemble covered his school clothes and hid his identity beneath a dark visor and helmet. This was a security. Flying around and saving people as a normal Gohan would totally reveal who he really was. No one wanted that kind of publicity.

Videl flew off in her jetcopter in the direction opposite of Gohan. That didn't happen too often. Usually she headed straight for him. Maybe, just maybe his luck was starting to turn for the better?

She spun about abruptly and headed back his direction. _Snap! _He hid behind an old air conditioner sitting on the rooftop. He stayed there until Videl had flown by. _Figures it was too good to be true. Oh well. Just got to think positive._ He stood up from his crouched position._ Like how mom will have dinner hot and ready when I get home._ He grinned and let out a loud whoop before shooting up into the sky.

Food. The ultimate pick-me-up.

* * *

><p>Videl entered the Satan mansion late that night. She'd been looking for Gohan for a while after she'd lost him, but hadn't any luck in finding the suspicious teen. <em>It's like he just… vanished!<em> She shook her head. _Not possible! No one can just disappear! But this is the second time this has happened. Oh I can just hear it now. 'Videl Satan, the daughter of the world savior, can't track one nerdy high school student!' What's wrong with me?_

Making her way up to her room, she ignored the noises coming from her father's room. It wasn't the first time he stayed up all night re-viewing his 'greatness'. Sometimes he brought women home and that made staying in the same home with him almost unbearable. She clenched her fists. If only there was someone strong enough to knock some sense into that stupid father of hers! He'd changed ever since gaining his immense popularity after the cell games. He was still her father, still a goof, but he'd changed into an arrogant, stuck up, self-absorbed…

She sighed. _It could be worse I suppose._ Videl fell face first into her bed, snuggling up to her pillow after the stress of the school day. _I could be stuck in another shopping trip with Erasa._ Those were the worst. Videl had an affinity towards more interesting pursuits than shopping, but she went with her friend anyway. Erasa was a good person. Hard to shop with, but a good person.

Sharpner, another of her classmates, was a good person too. That is, if you overlooked that he'd been trying to get with Videl for the course of their high school career. _I've forgotten how many times I've given him a knuckle sandwich. _She grinned to herself. Videl made it a point to smack around any boy who tried to make a move on her. This was mostly because most guys just wanted to get to know her because she was rich and famous. You know… get on her father's good side. Stupid jerks. She had feelings too ya know!

Videl let out another deep sigh as she moved from her bed to the bathroom. Dating was the furthest thing on her mind. The good-looking guys were jerks and only wanted to know her for popularity and the others were too weak to do anything other than fawn over the fact that she was Hercule Satan's daughter! This does absolute _wonders_ for the self-esteem. Then again, she never had to worry about that before, so why start now? She figured she was attractive, but never really considered herself as being pretty. She was a crime fighter for goodness sake! Thinking about her appearance and, heaven forbid, boys was not something she could or even wanted to indulge in.

_Well,_ she mused, _at least most boys._ Gohan was an exception. He was an honest to goodness mystery. _A mystery that I am going to figure out!_ Videl thought firmly._ Even if he's not Saiyaman, there is something about him that just ruffles my feathers._ Yeah he was cute, but that's not why she was interested. He was intelligent when it came to schoolwork, but didn't know squat about anything else. He didn't know who she was and who her father was. What's more, he snickered when she told him! The nerve of that guy! Yeah it was kind of refreshing not being fawned over, but show a little respect!

Gohan was quite the enigma. He didn't hang out with anyone after school, didn't have many friends, and didn't try to stand out at all. It's like he was the antithesis of a high school boy. What was his deal? He was ridiculously sweet to everyone, even the kids who bullied him like no tomorrow. Gohan never talked about himself and constantly lied when she asked him.

_Maybe he is lying because he doesn't trust me. _Videl bit her lip. _Maybe I should ease up on him…_ She felt a bit guilty about today. She knew that she'd let him believe that she'd let the whole thing drop, but followed him anyway. _I feel like a sleazebag. Yeah I want to find him out, but that doesn't mean I should lie to his face like that._

Videl nodded her head as she slipped into her PJs. _You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. _She decided then and there to become his friend and find out more about him the old-fashioned way. It'd be tough though… She'd been pretty hard on the guy. _I just have to be careful._ The girl reasoned to herself. _Get deep enough to find out his secrets, but not too deep that I can't do the right thing if he really is a danger!_

Videl smirked as she slipped in between the sheets, satisfies with her plan. Tomorrow was going to be one heckuva day!

* * *

><p>Well that's the end of chapter one. It's taking a bit of a different route than I had intended. Lotsa expositional stuff in there. But the words flew straight from my fingertips WITHOUT MY CONSENT.<br>Heavens Above! Am I… possessed? O_O

Tune in next time to hear Gohan say…. Something profound? I dunnoes man. Let me know what you think! R&R or whatever!


	2. Lunches and Storms

**DISCLAIMER**: Again with the not owning DBZ or any of the characters therein. REPETITION.

BTW the line breaks mean a change in perspective. Just in case you were wondering.

Ch. 2: Lunches and Storms

* * *

><p>"GOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"<p>

Gohan grunted as he felt a hard object land on his stomach. What poor creature dared interrupt the precious saiyan sleep cycle?!

"Wake up big brother! Mom says breakfast is almost ready!" Goten shouted, bouncing now upon his brother's midsection.

"AUGH. I'm up! I'm UP!" Gohan sat up in bed, grabbing his little brother roughly. "And you are the most annoying alarm clock ever!" Goten squealed as Gohan noogied his brother.

"MERCY!" Goten broke his brother's grasp and barreled out of the room. Gohan chuckled and moved out of bed. Time to get ready for school.

After his shower, Gohan dressed quickly. Rushing downstairs, he joined his little brother at the table.

"Good morning Gohan!" Chichi said cheerfully. "I hope you slept well. Goten, keep your elbows off the table! By the way boys, I heard that there's supposed to be a thunderstorm sometime today. Please be sure to keep dry even though I know your ki can dry you off in a few seconds. You don't need to be wet and cold long before you get sick!" She went on for a few more minutes before noticing that neither boy was paying attention. Both were stuffing their faces as fast as they could.

Gohan noticed his mom's look. Gulping down his mouthful, he said "Sure thing mom!" and continued at a slower pace.

Goten looked up. "Srrrrmmf mrrf mrrm!"

"Goten, don't talk with your mouth full." Chichi admonished gently.

He swallowed. "Sorry mom." Glancing over at his brother, Goten asked, "Hey Gohan, if it rains today, can we go flying in the storm? I heard Trunks saying that his dad let him fly out in the storm and play with the lightning!"

Chichi was appalled. "Certainly not! No son of mine is going to get fried by a lightning bolt!"

Gohan sent his mom a grin. "Don't worry mom. I'm sure that Trunks was just bragging." He turned to Goten. "We can go flying in the storm, but we can't play with the lightning."

"Oh no you don't, Son Gohan!"

"But mom, Dad and I used to do that too. It's perfectly safe."

Chichi looked worried for a moment then sighed. She had been increasingly lax with the boys of late. Her age must be getting to her. "Fine, but if either of you catches a cold, don't come crying to me. You may be saiyans, but you aren't invincible." She turned to her youngest son. "Be sure to wear a raincoat if you go out today, okay Goten?"

"Yeah mom! Woo! I get to go out with Gohan!" Goten buzzed excitedly. It had been a while since he got to play with his brother.

Gohan smiled. "I'll see you later, squirt!" He gave his mother a peck on the cheek as he headed toward the door. "Thanks for breakfast mom! I'll see you after school!" He heard them call out behind him as he took to the air.

"Byeeeeee Gohan!"

"Be safe sweetie!"

* * *

><p>Videl smacked her alarm clock with a force that left cracks running through her nightstand. Again.<p>

She grudgingly pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Videl prepared herself quickly and moved towards the dining room. Breakfast had already been laid out and her father had seated himself at the head of the table. Sitting next to him, she poured herself a coffee and snagged some toast. She didn't spend much time over breakfast if she could help it.

"G'mornin' sweet pea." Hercule rumbled over the newspaper at his daughter.

"Hey dad."

"How are classes?"

"Boring."

"Good, good." He glanced over at her. "How's crime fighting treating ya?"

"It's alright dad."

"Good! I'm so proud of how strong you've gotten. As long as you don't get hurt, keep up the good work hon!" He beamed at her a moment before returning to the news.

Videl allowed herself a small smile before leaving the table. "Thanks dad." It was nice to know every once in a while that he really did care. Even if he forgot to when the cameras were rolling. Stupid paparazzi.

As she left the mansion, Videl snagged her schoolbag and capsule that held her jetcopter. It was a gift from the police force along with her radio-watch. Hopefully she'd have a day off from policing the town.

But who really knows anyway?

* * *

><p>Gohan sped towards OSH. He'd had a rather enjoyable morning. His mother had been surprisingly lenient when they talked about flying in a storm. Usually she'd tried to stop anything that might cause bodily harm including daily training. But the teen knew she was just trying to do her best. Things had been hard on Chichi with Goku gone, but her fighting spirit never gave up. As much as she nagged at him and forced him to study, Chichi was a good parent. Tough enough to keep saiyans in line and sweet enough to be a wonderful mother.<p>

The sun shone weakly through the dark clouds that shrouded the sky. Gusts of harsh winds buffeted his helmet and cape as he flew over Satan city. He was in his Saiyaman disguise, naturally, as he was flying around in public. He had made good time out to Satan city from the 439 mountain area he called home. So there was plenty of time to do a quick patrol.

Scanning the area, Saiyaman concluded that there were no crimes occurring before the school bell rang. Gohan landed on the roof and switched off saiya-mode. He mused to himself about all the cool things that Bulma had invented in capsule corp. Capsules, different modes of transportation and storage, all of those things had come out of her and her father's heads. When Gohan asked her about it, Bulma had explained that the watch worked by converting his outfit into an electrical energy stored in his watch. Upon pressing the button, the energy released and snapped back into place on his body. His normal clothes then took their place as stored energy in the watch.

Gohan walked slowly inside the building. _Bulma thinks up the coolest stuff. _He let out a sigh as he reached his locker and pulled out his books. _I wonder if she could make something that would make school less boring._ Glancing around, he made his way into the classroom and to his normal seat.

"Well, look who's early for once."

Gohan smiled broadly. "Good morning Sharpner. Good morning Erasa. How are you today?"

Sharpner smirked and stretched his biceps. "I'm doing well, thanks for asking." He turned to Erasa. "Hey Erasa, are you doing anything after school today?"

The busty blond teen looked up from her scrupulously kept nails. "Not really Sharpie. Do you have plans?"

"I just thought you might like to…"

The conversation went on completely without Gohan's involvement. This kind of exclusion was normal so he didn't think anything of it. He tried being friendly with everyone, but no one really wanted to be friendly with him. Well, except when they wanted help with homework.

The young saiyan's eyes wandered around the classroom. Class hadn't officially started yet and students were still filtering in. He spotted Videl entering the room and bounced his eyes over to the window. _Just think positive. She might want nothing to do with you today. _

Videl walked up to her seat between Erasa and Sharpner. As she passed by Gohan she paused.

"Hey Gohan."

Gohan swallowed nervously. "Hey Videl."

"…"

"…" Videl moved to her seat quietly. Erasa and Sharpner greeted her as always and continued with their aforementioned conversation.

That was it. No questions, no intense stare… nothing!

Gohan was stunned! His perplexed gaze tracked her every move.

_That's it? _Gohan's head was spinning. _No 'Hello where were you at 4pm yesterday afternoon' or 'Good morning tell me what shoe size you're wearing' or anything? _Gohan felt strangely disappointed. _Usually she hits me with a questionnaire! What is up with her this morning? I wonder if she's in trouble. Is she feeling alright? Wait… is this all a plot of some kind?_ Maybe she was planning something…

The teacher entered the classroom a few minutes later and began teaching. Gohan's mind swam with potential situations in which Videl accosted him and forced him to spill the beans. He nervously glanced in her direction. She seemed normal enough. No sly smirks, no focused stare… She looked bored with the lesson maybe, but normal. His thoughts then turned from paranoid to concern. Maybe she had a bad morning.

_I should try to cheer her up. _ He resolved. A few seconds later his resolve crumbled. _What am I thinking? We aren't even friends._ Another glance in Videl's direction and his thought process changed again. _Maybe… maybe she gave up on finding me out? Is… is she… giving up?_ Gohan thought about that for a moment. _No. She is way too determined to give up so easy. That's part of why I think she'd make a good friend._ He sighed. _Not like that is going to happen anytime soon._

Gohan turned from his thoughts and tried to focus on whatever the teacher was saying. _I'm over thinking this. I'll just have to take it as it comes._

* * *

><p>Videl caught Gohan glancing at her again. She smiled to herself. <em>He looked like really didn't know what to do with himself<em>. She had foregone the practice of questioning him this morning. It seemed to have thrown the poor boy for a loop.

She fought down a chuckle. _This might actually be fun!_

* * *

><p>The bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the moment. The students streamed out of the classroom towards the cafeteria. Lunch was a time to chat with friends, gossip about irrelevant things, and stuff your face.<p>

Gohan waited until most of his classmates left before heading up to the rooftop for lunch. He didn't like to eat with so many other people around. They already had him pegged as weirdo and he was sure that if anyone saw the amount he ate for lunch…

He shuddered. _Nope. I am not about to be ostracized for a massive appetite. I get enough teasing and crap as it is. _He settled himself on the rooftop. _But you know what? I don't mind the view up here. _OSH was in the city, but it was a tall enough building to give a half decent view of the area. Pulling out the capsule holding his lunch, Gohan paused.

Videl appeared around the corner and made her way towards him. _Maaaaaaan… _The saiyan teen shoved the capsule back in his pocket with a face full of disappointment. _Guess lunch is will have to wait._ His stomach rumbled in protest. _Don't worry, she won't be here long… hopefully._

"Oh, hello Videl." Gohan smiled awkwardly, "What brings you up here?"

She shrugged. "Nothing much. I just noticed that you usually leave around lunchtime. I thought I'd invite you to eat with us."

"… W-what?"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Videl's eyes narrowed. "You think you're too good to eat lunch with us?"

"N-no!" Gohan waved his hands in the air in front of him. "Not at all! It's just that you have never asked me before!"

"Well I'm asking you now!"

"But is it okay with…"

"Sharpner and Erasa won't care one way or the other." She interrupted. "Are you coming or not?!"

Gohan's eyes were as round as dinner plates. "Uh… S-sure." He smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'll come eat with you guys."

"Good." She turned on her heel and started towards the door. "Hurry it up."

Gohan got up off the ground to follow her. Thoughts were whirling around and around in his head, making Gohan feel dizzier by the minute.

… _What just happened?_

Minutes later, Gohan sat with Sharpner, Erasa, and a few other classmates at a lunch table. In front of the poor bewildered boy was a school lunch. Looking down, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. Even without his heightened senses he could smell the noxious fumes rising from the mush in front of him.

He gently pushed it away from him. _Nope._ Yeah he had a garbage disposal unit for a stomach, but that didn't mean he wanted actual garbage inside it.

Sharpner laughed openly at the disgust on Gohan's face. "It's hard to believe that stuff they pass off as food in here." His usual smug face softened as he patted the young man on the back. "You should've seen what we had last year. I still have nightmares."

"Yeah, that shiz was nasty!" Erasa made a face. "Half the school was pitching up after an hour." She gestured to the pink flowery lunchbox in front of her. "Those who were there learned to pack a lunch."

"And those who forget, regret." Intoned another student across the table. Everyone chuckled at the table, Gohan included.

Videl scowled as she looked down at her mush covered lunch tray. "Yeah well, I think I'd rather starve today." She pushed it away and turned to Sharpner. "What did you bring for lunch?"

"No way Videl. You ain't getting any of this sweet, delicious-"

A low rumble cut him off mid-sentence. Everyone at the table grinned slightly at the noise.

Videl looked up at the ceiling. "Wow. I didn't think the storm was coming until after school."

"Yeah… aheh." Gohan laughed nervously. _Stupid stomach. Glad I had breakfast. It would be way too loud to pass off as anything besides a lion._

Erasa sent a smirk over at Videl. "It's strange, but it sounded really, really close by."

"Well actually…" Gohan began, but was cut off by another rumbling noise. This time, it obviously came from him. "…that was me."

Everyone sat stunned for a moment. Gohan squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, awaiting the deluge of questions and outright bullying to fly at him. _This is going to suck._

"HA!" Sharpner burst out laughing. Most everyone else at the table followed in laughter.

_It wasn't that funny… _Gohan thought sullenly to himself. As the laughter faded to chuckles, he gave a start when Erasa elbowed him.

"That was hilarious!" She grinned at him. "I guess you're really hungry Gohan!"

"Yeah," Sharpner chuckled, "did you skip breakfast or something?"

"No, but I have a big appetite normally anyway." Gohan was caught off guard. No one thought that was strange? "But was it really that funny?"

"Well yeah!" Erasa giggled. "Who knew that Gohan had an appetite to rival Videl's?"

"Videl?"

"Totally." She leaned in closer and whispered to Gohan. "Just wait a little while and you'll hear it."

"Huh." Gohan glanced over at Videl. She was staring longingly at Sharpner's cheeseburger.

The students at the lunch table started laughing again when they heard the growl of Videl's stomach. It was different from the roar that came out of Gohan's, but it was close enough to get them in fits. Gohan found himself laughing along with them.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p>Videl felt her face burning. She sent a glare around the table that just made them all laugh harder. It wasn't her fault that she always forgot to pack a lunch.<p>

Her glare became fiercer as she saw Gohan laughing with the rest of them. _That punk!_ Her thoughts softened a bit as she remembered his discomfort earlier. _At least he's starting to loosen up a bit._

"Guess we have more in common than I thought." She said reaching for Sharpner's burger.

"Oh nuh-uh!" The blond teen moved it out of her reach. "I have boxing practice later today and I need my strength."

Videl leaned over further. "And I have to stop criminals all day long! If anyone needs to keep up their strength, it's me!"

Sharpner's smile turned devilish. "I'll trade it to you for some sugar." He made a kissy face. "How's about it babe?"

A few seconds later, Sharpner was on the ground clutching the side of his face. Videl stood above him, rubbing her knuckles.

"You know what? I'm not that hungry anymore!" She grinned maliciously. "Thanks Sharpner!"

He gulped and moved back to the table. "No problem." He muttered.

Videl returned to her seat and high-fived Erasa. "Score, Videl: 348, Sharpner: 0!"

Erasa giggled and passed her friend an apple. Soon they were swapping and trading all over the table. This was a normal thing as no one wanted to eat the school lunches. Videl glanced over at Gohan. He didn't look like he packed anything today. She tossed him a pack of crackers that someone gave her.

"Here Gohan." She called, "It's not much, but it'll help you get through the day."

Gohan looked up, startled. "Oh! Thanks Videl, but I did pack a lunch." He passed the crackers back to her.

"Really?" Erasa piped up, mouth full of a PB&J.

"Yeah, but I usually eat alone. Like you said, I have a big appetite."

"Hmmm..." Videl said around a bite of apple, "Well don't worry about that too much. We won't judge."

Murmurs of agreement came from around the table. Videl smiled as Gohan brightened visibly. _This kid is too easy._ She watched as he took out a small capsule. The others cleared him a space as he hit the button and tossed it on the tabletop. After a small explosion and some smoke, audible gasps filled the air.

A veritable mountain of food had appeared! There were sandwiches, onigiri, chips, sushi, fruit, and all kinds of lunchtime foods.

_Whoa! _Videl almost choked on a piece of apple._ He wasn't kidding when he said he had a big appetite!_

"Wow Gohan!" She managed after a moment or two. "Are you going to eat all that?"

"Well no," He looked uncomfortable and somehow disappointed as he spoke, "my mom over prepares for everything." He gestured at the food mountain. "You guys can have some if you want."

"Yeah!" Shouts and whoops came from around the table as hungry students fell to upon the food.

Videl was surprised. She definitely didn't think that this would ever have happened when she invited the reclusive student to lunch. _At least he's nice enough to share._ She took a bite out of a chicken sandwich and closed her eyes in rapture. _This is delicious!_

"Your mom is a great cook Gohan!" Her statement made the boy pause from stuffing an onigiri in his mouth. Videl grinned and said, "This is some of the best food I've had in a long time!"

As similar comments came from other students at his table, Gohan blushed. "Thanks. I'll pass on the compliments."

"Yahkno Gohawn," Sharpner said around a mouthful of food, "yoo ain't 'aff bad."

"Told you so Sharpie!" Erasa stuck her tongue out. "I knew he was a good guy!"

"No, you said he was a _good-looking_ guy!" One of the other girls called out. Erasa blushed and threw a pudding cup at her.

The girl ducked and the pudding cup (God rest its soul) splattered on the back of the guy behind her. The guy, who was one of the bigger jocks in school, turned around and stared at Erasa angrily. Panicking, she pointed at Gohan.

Videl watched as Gohan's eyes went wide. She was about to stand up for the boy when the jock grabbed a plate of the school's mush and sent it flying at Gohan's face. It was like she was watching it in slow motion as it reached his head.

But it never hit him.

Videl's own eyes grew wide as Gohan somehow dodged it. _I didn't even see him move! How did he..._ Her thoughts were cut off as a yelp sounded from behind him. Spinning around, another boy launched a plate full of what looked like creamed corn into the back of another girl's head. A third boy, sensing the situation was escalating, stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"FOOD FIIIIIIIIIGHT!" And with that, all out war began.

* * *

><p>There are times in a highschooler's life where you want to go against the crowd. Unfortunately, this was not one of those cases. Nearly everyone joined in the massive food fight.<p>

Gohan ducked under a table after getting splattered with who-knows-what in the back. He chose not to dodge anything else after seeing the expression on Videl's face after that first plate of mush.

He watched as people whipped food at one another in a type of battle frenzy. _This is something that Vegeta might appreciate._ A lone cookie rolled by, only to get squashed by a pair of running feet. _Then again… this much food going to waste might just get him angry. _The teen saiyan let out a sad sigh. _There goes my lunch._

"Scoot over Gohan!"

Gohan moved over and let another person under the table. He was surprised to see Videl wriggle in beside him and stare out at the mayhem.

"Is this normal?" Gohan ventured unsteadily. If this was something that happened on a daily basis, then there was no way he was coming back to school.

Videl stared at him a moment before a laughing loudly. An honest to goodness belly laugh. He had never heard Videl laugh before. Gohan tilted his head. It was a good sound.

"Of course it's not normal!" She giggled. "This only happens once in a while. Usually when the student body is too stressed out. I guess today is the day they finally let loose."

"Huh. But did they really have to waste all that food?"

"Gohan, is food the only thing on your brain?"

His stomach growled faintly. "Right now it is." He hadn't gotten to eat much of anything. At least, compared to normal.

Videl flashed him a mischievous grin. "Well, have some more!" She shouted before shoving a handful of rice in his hair.

"HEY!" He brushed his hands furiously through his hair. "Oh it's on now!" Gohan called as she dashed out from under the table. Looking around for some ammo, he paused. A strange feeling was bubbling up inside him. It felt fluttery and oddly violent. The teen shook his head and wrote the faintness it caused off as adrenaline. His eyes happened upon wad of bread, perhaps the remains of one of the many sandwiches his mom prepared. Snagging it, Gohan chucked it after Videl.

He felt a sense of satisfaction watching it bounce off her back. It earned him a yell and some retaliation. The feeling that the teen experienced earlier eased slightly and he was able to forget about it. Gohan came out from under the table and engaged fully in the war, laughing along with everyone else. The teenaged saiyan didn't throw anything too fast or too hard, nor did he dodge anything. What better way to have fun than to do it at their level?

And boy was it ever fun!

* * *

><p>"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The principal screamed over the din in the cafeteria.<p>

Everyone froze.

"I want whoever started this to come here RIGHT NOW." The principal was absolutely furious.

Erasa trembled. She was covered as was the rest of the student body with bits of food. Videl frowned at her across the room. She knew how much trouble the blond would be in. Erasa had never gotten in trouble before and knew that this would really hurt the poor girl. The raven haired girl mustered her courage to speak up when another voice beat her to the punch.

"It was me sir." Gohan rose from underneath a table. He had rice all through his hair and all over his red vest. There was even rice stuck in his eyebrows. It was like a rice-splosion had happened! (Heh, Gohan gohan)

Videl gaped openly as Gohan walked up to the principal. Why was he taking the fall for Erasa? _He barely knows us for heaven's sake!_ She pushed through a few other students and ran up in front of the boy.

"No! It was me! I'm the one who started it!" Gohan stared at her, clearly shocked. Eventually he also turned his gaze to the principal.

The principal looked from Videl to Gohan, a faint look of amusement crossing over his features. "I see." He glared at the student body behind him. "Everyone go get cleaned up! These two will follow me to the office. If I hear one word from ANY of you, you will be joining them! AM I CLEAR?!"

A chorus of 'yes sir' was heard as the students scrambled off to the locker rooms to find some cleaner clothes. Erasa shot Videl a grateful look as they passed her on the way to the office.

"Wait here." The principal said, gesturing to the seats in the waiting room. "And try not to get any of your mess on the floor." He turned and entered the office, closing the door behind him.

Gohan and Videl sat in silence. Each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Videl looked sidelong at Gohan. _Why would he do that? I thought his studies were too important for him to get in trouble. _She studied his profile. _I guess I need to rethink how I see him. He's not a bad guy after all. __Still a total nerd, but not a bad guy.  
><em>

Gohan turned his head and met her eyes. She held his gaze stubbornly, refusing to look away.

Suddenly, he spoke. "Why did you do that?"

Videl let out a small laugh. "Why did you?"

Gohan sighed. "Well, Erasa didn't mean to start a food fight. She shouldn't get in trouble for that. Besides, most of the food tossed about in the fight was mine."

"So you felt responsible?"

"Sort of."

"Well that was pretty dang decent of you. Especially since Erasa blamed you for the first throw."

Gohan cracked a grin. "Thanks." They sat in slightly more comfortable silence for a moment.

"But it was also pretty stupid."

Gohan's face was incredulous. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you barely know Erasa. Why would you take the fall for someone you didn't know?"

"I could ask the same of you Videl. Why take part of the blame?"

She stiffened. "Because it wasn't your fault! It was the right thing to do!"

He relaxed back into the chair, closing his eyes. "Well, there you have it. It was the right thing to do."

Videl let out a huff of frustration. Gohan merely chuckled.

After another moment of silence, Gohan opened his eyes to look curiously at Videl. "Why did you invite me to lunch?"

"Well remember what I said yesterday?" Videl said, "I felt bad for being too hard on you and figured I should give you a chance."

"Oh."

The awkward silence returned.

"… "

"… Thanks Videl."

She smiled to no one in particular. "Sure thing Gohan."

* * *

><p>The principal had let them off easy. He knew that both of them were covering for someone and figured that having them clean the cafeteria after the food fight would be punishment enough. How did he know that they were covering? He overheard their conversation of course. He is the principal for a reason you know.<p>

Actually, Gohan was more surprised that Videl hadn't pursued how he was able to dodge that first plateful of food. _She was probably distracted by the massive amount food flying everywhere. Lucky!_

Gohan flew through the rain. His Saiyaman disguise held water like no other, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Especially after cleaning the cafeteria. Videl and Gohan worked hard for 2 hours after school cleaning the place from top to bottom. It wasn't bad, but he had to keep from rushing himself. Gohan estimated that he'd have it done in half an hour using speed, but he supposed that this was like training to keep hidden.

It took forever to get it all done. Videl was so focused on cleaning that neither of them said a word to each other besides "you missed a spot" and "my mom will kill me". But it was still nice. You can spend time with someone, not say a word, and still feel companionship. Even prisoners feel the same way with a cellmate. You go through some stuff together and you feel a little more connected.

Gohan had phoned his mom earlier to let her know what had happened. His ears were still ringing after that tirade. Sure to get even more chewed out when he got home, Gohan dragged his feet, figuratively speaking.

_Maybe she'll let me off the hook after I explain myself a bit._ Gohan shook his head. _Nah. Fat chance of that. I think it'd be easier to get struck by lightning._

In response, a bolt of lightning lit the sky around him. Gohan tasted the electricity and sent his own surge of power into the air. The helmet he was wearing trembled at the power barely contained beneath it. The red cape that fluttered behind him took up a glow of its own. The saiyan teen powered up and down swiftly, pretending that he was a lightning bolt. He kept his power level close enough so that it could have been mistaken for another electric surge. No need to freak people out by going to a higher level than expected. Sometimes it's good to have your own little secrets.

A great boom of thunder echoed around him, mostly from his own sudden energy than the lightning bolt. Gohan looked around eagerly for another bolt until the strange feeling that he had earlier resurfaced. This time it was stronger and more demanding than before! Trying to fight it made him feel faint. Nevertheless, he was able to shove it down again when he heard a voice in the distance.

"GOHAN! GOOOOOOHAAAAAAN!" Goten shouted as loud as he could.

"Goten!" A smile that rivaled the storm broke over Gohan's face. "You came to meet me!" He floated over to meet the nimbus that carried his little brother.

"Yeah! You promised we could go flying in the storm!" Goten peeked out from under his over-sized yellow rain coat. You could only see his eyes and a few locks of black hair.

"That's right! Sorry about that squirt." Gohan hefted Goten onto his back. "We had a big fight at school today and I had to clean it up."

"A fight?! What kind of fight?" Goten's excited voice was muffled from the large raincoat.

"A food fight."

"Did you win?"

"Uh... I don't think so. It wasn't that kind of fight."

"Whaddaya mean?"

"It was mostly for fun. People started throwing food all over the place."

"Wow! That DOES sound like fun!" Goten grinned. "I betcha you made a big mess!"

"That's why I had to stay late and clean it up."

"OOOOH. I get it."

Gohan laughed and spun up higher into the air. From there, he shot into the darkest looking cloud, looking for lightning to show his little brother.

"Okay! Hang on tight Goten!"

Gohan flew through the storm, racing the streaks of light and they blazed past. Goten let out a high-pitched squeal and hung on tightly to his big brother.

On they went, through rain and lightning. Racing the thunder as it rolled out over the mountains where they lived. Goten let out loud whoops, rising and falling through the air. The rain pelted their faces, the wind buffeted their bodies. There was complete silence for a moment then torrential sound the next. Every moment the boys felt the rush of life, energy, and freedom. They reveled in the storm, in the flight, and in the brotherhood the shared.

And then Gohan got struck by lightning.

With a loud crack, lightning struck the two boys out of nowhere. Gohan felt the energy from the lightning bolt begin to burn. Fearing for his little brother, Gohan instead sucked the bolt out of the air and into his body. He swiftly powered up to super saiyan and let out the combined energy pulse. Goten clung tightly to his back as the raw power swept over him. It dispersed in a flash and dissipated into the surrounding mountains. In addition, the strange feeling he was wrestling with dissipated along with the energy surge. It was still there, but was now way more manageable.

"Gohan! Are you oka-"

The thunder that came back from the pulse shook the boys down in their core. It had bounced off the mountains to come back with a vengeance. They threw their hands over their ears and waited.

After a few moments Gohan took his hands away from his head. "You okay there squirt?"

Goten, eyes wide, replied. "Yeah."

They stared at each other for a second. Goten's face abruptly split into a huge grin. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" He squealed loudly.

Gohan laughed outright. "You liked that huh?"

"Can I do that too?" Goten asked, powering up to super saiyan.

"Nope. I told mom that we wouldn't play with lightning. Sorry little man, but maybe next time alright?"

"Aww, but you did it just now!"

Gohan frowned at his little brother. "That was an accident. If I hadn't dispersed that power, we'd look like Mr. Brief's cat after a bath!"

"You mean all poofy and stuff?"

"Ayep."

Goten giggled and powered down. "Let's do that next time then!"

"Crazy kid!" Gohan chuckled, finally heading home.

"Hey Gohan, what happened to your outfit?"

"Huh?"

Gohan looked down at himself. His costume had vanished and his normal clothes were now on him. They looked weird though… like they were too thin in some places. He glanced over at his watch. It was shooting sparks and flickering like mad.

_Geez. It's just my luck that a lightning bolt shorts out my disguise. Guess I'll have to make a pit stop._ He turned his head to look at Goten.

"Hey Goten, how about we go…" He stopped mid sentence.

The little saiyan frowned. "Go where big brother?" Gohan looked really strange. Kinda spacey. He tapped him on the head a bit.

"Gohan? Are you okay?"

Gohan's blank look swapped out with one of confusion. _That feeling is back! After only a few minutes reprise, I feel it again!_ The sensation was no longer merely violent, but dominating! It threatened to overwhelm his consciousness. _I have to get Goten out of here! I have to fight whatever this is! _Gohan brought Goten off his back and looked him straight in the eye.

"Goten, take nimbus… and go get mom for me okay?" _Why is it... getting harder… to think?_

"Gohan what's the matter?"

Gohan shook his head, feeling the more faintness come over him as he fought to stay in control of his mind. "I'm not sure… But…" Heat surged under his skin and he struggled to stay in the air. "I feel really... strange and… can't quite…" The energy within him fluctuated erratically. Gohan felt his consciousness fade. The saiyan teen gradually lost control of his ki and started to fall, "I can't… You must…"

"Big brother!"

They spun out of control towards the earth. Goten screamed for nimbus and clutched his brother tightly. At the last moment, nimbus came swooping out of the sky to catch them. Goten was crying and blubbering about getting home to mom. Nimbus took the hint and flew them right to Mt. Paozu.

Goten tried to wake the older saiyan. Tears streamed down his face as shook his brother's shoulders.

Gohan… was out cold.

* * *

><p>What happened? Did… did Gohan just die? NO WAIT. He's the main character. Derrr.<br>Here have a curve-ball/cliffhanger jobby! I was gonna write more to put in this chapter, but I don't want to publish too much at one time. :3

SPARE MY LIFE. Also R&R for the lovelies pls.


	3. Unexpected Changes

EVERYBODY SHUT UP.  
>Did you know how much fanart is out there? DID YOU?<br>Everyone around the world loves DBZ. AND I HAD NO IDEA.  
>I am filled with joy at the creative minds that I see here on and all over the interwebs in the form of fanart. Thank you all so much for sharing something that brought such joy.<p>

It makes me so happy. :'D

I know I'm a noob. ._.

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own DBZ or any characters therein. I don't even own the nimbus. ;_;  
>BTW language warning. No F-bombs though.<p>

Ch 3: Unexpected Changes

* * *

><p>Grabbing the popcorn, Bulma Briefs headed into the living room. Tonight was a night for settling down to watch a movie with her husband and son. This rare occurrence happened only once a month in the Brief household. After all, nothing but <em>nothing<em> was going to interrupt the prince of all 3 saiyans' training time. Only after blackmailing the man into submission was Bulma able to make him stop long enough to spend quality time with the family. Vegeta had argued that movies were stupid and a waste of his time. After all, why watch a movie about things exploding when you could go out and do it yourself?

Trunks felt the same way. Mostly because he thought his father could do no wrong. Honestly though, Trunks was happy that Vegeta was spending time with them tonight. It was happening more often after Trunks showed him that he could become a super saiyan. Vegeta had been slowly opening up to his family. Not like he'd ever admit that though.

Bulma snuggled up to her husband as the movie began to play. _This is nice._ She thought to herself. _I wish this could happen more often._

Vegeta looped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Trunks hopped up to take the space on his lap. He growled gently, earning him a grin from his wife and son.

"Pesky brat." He muttered as they all relaxed in front of the television.

They were about halfway through the movie when the phone rang.

"I got it!" shouted Trunks. He sped off towards the kitchen, leaving Bulma and Vegeta alone.

The prince of all saiyans looked about nervously. Public displays of affection were not his cup of tea. Better to make sure that the coast was clear. After checking the area for potential interruptions, Vegeta took this opportunity to kiss his wife. Bulma, not willing to be outdone, pulled Vegeta deeper into the kiss. The flame haired alien let out a rumble of contentment. Perhaps this rare opportunity should happen more often. Bulma smiled into the kiss, knowing that even though he didn't say it much, Vegeta loved her and their son.

"Oh gross. Do that somewhere else would ya?"

Vegeta broke off the kiss and scowled at his offspring. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bulma interrupted.

"What is it Trunks?"

Trunks shifted uncomfortably. "Goten's mom is on the phone. She sounds real upset over something. Said it's important that she talks to you, mom."

Vegeta grunted. "What does that harpy want now?"

Bulma punched him on the shoulder before leaving the room. Trunks walked over and rested his chin on his father's knee.

"She said something about Gohan getting sick."

"Saiyan warriors do not entertain illness."

"Yeah, but she says he's got a fever and that he won't wake up."

"It's that weakling's human side showing up."

"Dad?" Trunks looked up, eyes growing watery. "Is Gohan gonna die?"

Vegeta sighed. "No. Unfortunately that idiot is not going to die." He placed a hand on his son's head. "The only way that a warrior should die is in battle. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Vegeta settled back on the couch.

"B-but what if he-"

"If I go talk to the woman, will you leave it alone?!" He spat.

Trunks nodded. Vegeta grudgingly got up from the couch and headed toward the kitchen. A worried voice could be heard, growing louder as he entered the kitchen.

"Well what if it's just… I know but that was a onetime thing. I don't think that… well not that I know of… But what could… Please Chichi! You need to calm down!" Bulma looked up from the phone to Vegeta, eyes full of worry. "Okay, tell me his symptoms again?"

She wrote quickly on a notepad that rested beside the phone. Vegeta casually looked over her shoulder at what she was writing. Abruptly, he snatched the phone out of her hands.

Ignoring Bulma's protests, he spoke. "Is he still breathing?"

"Wha… Who is this?!"

"Is he still _breathing_?"

"Well yes but I…"

"How old is he?"

"Vegeta, is that you?! I swear to Kami if you are screwing with me I'll-"

"How _old_ is _he_?!"

"S-seventeen! Technically he's eighteen b-because of that year in the space-time room thingy!"

Vegeta seemed to do a series of brief calculations in his head. His eyes widened.

"We'll be over in 20 minutes."

And with that he hung up the phone.

Bulma felt bewildered. She followed him back to the living room where he was giving gruff instructions to Trunks.

"We are going to the home of Kakarrot. You may accompany us as long as you promise to stay out of the way."

"Yeah! I promise!" Trunks shouted. "Just lemme get that game I wanted to show Goten." He dashed off to his room.

"What's going on?" Bulma looked to her husband. "Vegeta, do you know what's wrong with Gohan?"

He nodded. The perpetual scowl on his face softened slightly at the sight of fear on her face. Vegeta pulled her into a short embrace before heading to their room.

"Don't worry woman. The child isn't going to die." He looked over his shoulder at Bulma. "Retrieve those sedatives from your lab as well at that scouter you've been repairing. We will need it."

Bulma watched as he turned the corner and out of sight. _Oh Gohan, what have you gotten yourself into now kid?_

* * *

><p>Chichi looked down at her son, eyes filled with worry. It had been over 2 hours since Goten had brought him in on the nimbus and there was still no sign of him waking up. The storm outside continued to rage, but Gohan remained unaware of it.<p>

Poor Goten was distraught. He wouldn't leave Gohan's side for anything. Chichi had eventually coaxed what happened out of him, but it was a confusing tale at best. Apparently Gohan had saved them from a lightning strike. Feelings of frustration surfaced within the worried mother. Hadn't she told them to be careful with lightning? Chichi grew more fearful as the moments passed. Were saiyans weak to lightning?

In a panic, she called her dear friend Bulma. Chichi knew that the blue haired genius had dealt with saiyans for longer than she had. If anyone could help, it had to be her. Chichi was more than surprised to talk to Vegeta who told her that they would be coming over. For the cold, impersonal man to take an interest… what exactly was happening to her son?

She shook off her thoughts. Instead, the worried mother snagged a fresh towel and hurried upstairs to Gohan's room. The teen lay on his bed, burning with what they thought was a fever. Shallow and ragged breaths escaped his lips like he had trained too hard for too long. Gohan's muscles were tight and his jaw clenched as if he was in horrible pain.

Goten looked up from his place at his brother's side. Tears still staining his face. "His ki is so strange. It keeps changing. Is… is he g-gonna be okay mommy?"

After changing out the cloth over his brow, she knelt beside her youngest and took his hand. "I hope so Goten."

Goten sniffed back more tears as he felt his friend's ki approaching. "T-Trunks is here?"

"Oh! That'll be Bulma! She said they were coming over to help!" Chichi rushed downstairs followed by Goten.

She opened the door and let Vegeta, Bulma and Trunks in out of the rain.

"Thank you so much for coming! I didn't know what to do and…" The dam holding back Chichi's emotions broke as Bulma came in the house.

Bulma grabbed her up in a hug. "It's okay, it's okay. We're here." She led the weeping mother into the living room to hear her tale. Chichi babbled about Goku's heart condition while fighting the androids and other possibilities that could've hurt her sweet baby boy. Bulma did her best to give the woman peace from her fears, leaving the boys in the kitchen.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. He muttered something about foolish female sentimentality before heading up the stairs into Gohan's room. Trunks and Goten shot each other a worried look before chasing after him.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching Gohan's room, Vegeta fought down the surprise he felt while looking at the boy. Gohan's body was tense. Every muscle strained against some unseen force. <em>He's to this point already. <em>Vegeta placed a hand over the boy's eyes. _His ki has already become too unstable. If something isn't done soon…_ Vegeta looked over at the two boys behind him. _But I must be sure._

"Get downstairs." He said to Trunks. "Go fetch the women."

Trunks was off like a shot. Vegeta turned his gaze to Goten. "Go with him." Goten nodded and dashed after his best friend.

Vegeta glared down at the tense form on the bed. Grunting, he set his hands under Gohan's side and swiftly flipped him over.

There on his lower back, sprouted a brown fuzzy tail.

Vegeta cursed softly and ran a hand through his hair. _It figures._ Footsteps pounded up the stairs behind him. He turned to face the Bulma and the boy's mother.

"How long has he been like this?" He asked Chichi, folding his arms across his chest.

"Th-three hours." She said, voice choppy from weeping.

Vegeta cursed slightly louder. Bulma shot him a warning glance before speaking.

"What's wrong with him."

Vegeta shot her a pointed look. "Nothing out of the ordinary for a growing saiyan."

Bulma's jaw dropped. "You mean this," She pointed at the shaking Gohan, "is _normal_?!"

"Yes." He frowned, looking down at the boy. "Though it is rarely so harsh."

"Now y-you listen here mister!" Chichi pushed past Bulma and got right up in Vegeta's grille. Her voice steadied as she began ranting at the short muscular form in front of her. "I d-don't care if this is normal for you, you blood sucking murderous freak! I need to know what's happening to my baby boy!" Tears once again began working their way down her face. "A-and if you don't tell me RIGHT NOW what is going on with MY SON… I'll have to… I'll…"

Vegeta pushed her away roughly. "Shut your trap banshee." The saiyan prince gestured to Gohan. "He is going through a stage in the saiyan life cycle."

"What do you mean _stage_?!" Chichi's tear stained glare darkened. "I swear if you are lying to me I'll…"

"I have no need to lie to you, witch." Vegeta's eyes met Bulma's instead. "He is going through something every saiyan experiences."

"Which is?" Bulma encouraged.

Vegeta frowned for a moment. "In the common tongue I believe it's called… puberty."

Bulma and Chichi were silent. Their jaws hanging wide.

"What." Chichi managed.

Bulma shook her head. "That makes no sense. Gohan already hit puberty."

"Foolish woman. Changes to his body… sexually (you dirty minded people!) … are not what I mean." His brow furrowed as he searched for the appropriate words. "After a period of immense physical growth, saiyans of about his age go through… something akin to a rite of passage."

Chichi gasped. "It was only last year that Gohan suddenly got taller!"

"Goku did the same thing right before the World Martial Arts Tournament." Bulma supplied. She remembered the little shrimp that was Goku before he reappeared as a 6 foot heartthrob.

"Yes. From what you have told me of the incident, that is when Goku completed his rite." Vegeta said, smirking at his wife. She picked up things quickly.

"What are you talking about? Rite of passage? What even is that? How come nothing like this ever happened to Goku then?" Chichi rambled.

Vegeta glared at her. "Gohan is going through this because _someone_ kept him from sparring with me."

"Why I'll have you know…!" Chichi began, but Bulma interrupted her .

"Wait wait… That whole debacle at the WMAT was some sort of insane rite of passage? You have a lot of explaining to do mister jerk-of-all-saiyans!" Bulma scowled at the saiyan prince. "And besides, Gohan trained by himself constantly! Surely training has nothing to do with it?"

"Yes and no." Vegeta ignored the insult and turned to look out the window. "Saiyans are beings of unlimited potential. There are points where that potential needs testing. The best way to do this is in battle. If they are not tried, _bitvachitk_ consumes them until they reach what their current limit of power is."

"_bitvachitk_?" Repeated Bulma, testing out the foreign word. "What's that?"

Vegeta growled in frustration. "Cursed human language! It's…" He searched for the correct translation. "… battle lust."

Birds flew from the forest as the mighty shriek of Chichi exploded from the small house.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

Vegeta covered his ears. Downstairs, the two boy saiyans clapped their hands to the sides of their heads. That was louder than the thunder in the storm!

Gohan stayed unconscious through it all.

Keeping his hands over his ears, Vegeta tried to retaliate.

"He is in this state because he is suppressing it!" He shouted over the din. Pointing to Gohan with his elbow, he said, "See for yourself!"

Chichi took one look at Gohans brand new tail and fainted dead away.

Vegeta allowed a short expression of relief. "Friggin' near blew my ears out." He muttered.

Bulma stared at Vegeta. "You have some serious explaining to do Vegeta."

"Now is not the time woman."

"I realize that. What do you need to do?"

"He must find his limit."

"And how do you propose to do that?

The prince smirked. "How else?" There was only one good way to stabilize Gohan's ki. Vegeta relished the idea of beating the sorry brat into oblivion. He removed his button down shirt and tossed it at Bulma. She'd have his hide if he tore up another one.

Bulma's eyes widened as Vegeta began limbering up. She figured that it'd be something like this. Violence seemed to be Vegeta's answer to everything. Frankly, she didn't know of any other solution herself. Haltingly, she moved to rest Chichi against a wall.

"What do you want me to do?"

The flame haired man looked up at her, surprised. He'd been expecting some sort of protest. _I guess she understands how dangerous this is._ He continued stretching.

"Prepare the sedatives and scouter. When we leave, use the scouter to track the energy coming from Kakkarot's spawn." His eyes narrowed. "If it becomes too great a threat, signal me or that green freak outside the window."

Bulma nearly screamed as she saw Piccolo hovering outside the second story window. She put a one hand to her heart. With the other, she motioned for Piccolo to come inside. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it." Piccolo grunted as he came in the window and out of the rain. Strangely enough none of his clothes were wet. "I felt Gohan's energy spike strangely and fluctuate. Coming here, I find Vegeta arriving with you all. I figured it must've been important and stayed around to find out." He turned his gaze to Vegeta. "I'll watch your fight. If you fail, I will take your place."

"I do not need your help, weakling! I will not fall to the likes of this disgusting excuse for a warrior!" Vegeta said. The words had come out by rote, due to his pride being insulted. But he'd welcomed the namekian's presence. Any warrior worth his salt would know not to mess with a hormonal saiyan, Vegeta included.

"Uh-huh. Sure thing Vegeta." Piccolo smirked. He and the saiyan prince had come to a mutual understanding of each other over the years. They still didn't like each other, yet they had found familiarity with each other's demeanor.

Vegeta snarled at Piccolo before turning back to Bulma. "The sedatives you designed for me should work on the boy as well. Keep the brats close to you. They can get you out faster than that stupid contraption of yours."

"Alright. Be careful okay?"

Vegeta's eyes softened.

"Hn."

Bulma motioned to Piccolo and together they left the room.

The prince stood there alone. Slowly he turned to Gohan's form. Vegeta's hand came up to stroke his chin thoughtfully. Chichi's scream hadn't woken the kid up at all. How was he supposed to fight the brat is he was out cold?

He poked the kid. "Wake up. Dinner's ready."

… Nothing.

_Dang._ Vegeta scowled._ That worked on that fool Kakkarot. _(Lol)

_This is going to be harder than I thought._

Then he remembered the tail. The boy's fluctuating ki had caused it to re-grow. It was a sure sign of Gohan's need to be tested. Perhaps if he…

His own desire to battle rose as he stared at the tail. Yet Vegeta wrestled with himself. _That tail is a limiter. It'll be a weakness in the fight. Do I leave the tail in… give myself a potential advantage… or yank it out and see how high he can go? _Vegeta hesitated further, watching as the newly grown tail twitched beside the boy._ If I give that a good pull…_

After a few seconds more of indecision, he reached over and unceremoniously ripped Gohan's tail off.

* * *

><p>"AUUUUUUUUUGHHH!"<p>

Chichi woke to an inhuman roar of pain. It startled her so rapidly into awareness that she leapt to her feet and assumed a defensive position. Her panicked gaze swept the room. What she saw shocked her.

A young man was kneeling on the bed. His hair was wild, black and spiky. His eyes were glowing red, his canines had grown into veritable fangs that could be plainly seen as he screamed his pain to the skies. Electricity sparked off his clothes and his muscles could be seen through his ragged shirt, tensing and bunching up erratically.

Son Gohan was awake.

* * *

><p>The sound that ripped from Gohan's throat could be heard even out in Satan city. The saiyan teen had awoken to a pain searing through his backside. The feeling was too great to bear, so he let everyone know how it felt. Opening his eyes, he let a murderous glare search the room frantically for the perpetrator of his pain.<p>

There, in the center of the room stood a short, shirtless man. He held a twitching tail in his hand.

_That's MY tail! _How did he know it was his? Gohan snarled at the guy. _Who the hell is this bastard?! _

In his rage, Gohan had lost all sense of who was who. He didn't recognize the man who stood before him.

The man dropped the tail and spoke in a foreign tongue. "_Touziktse louv?"_  
>(You desire the hunt?)<p>

"_Prejfi boj._" A language Gohan didn't know sprung unbidden to his lips. _The hell…_  
>(I desire the fight.)<p>

"_Touziktse bitva."_ The man replied. His voice was deep and it growled trough his teeth.  
>(You desire the battle.)<p>

"_Chcetelin ajit sahkm hodst myich lidi."_ Gohan intoned. He shook his head angrily. Why did he say that? What did that even mean?!  
>(To find myself worthy of my people.)<p>

"_Pak. Vyzyvahm tena svout hyrdrosti jakote borjovnik._"  
>(So. I challenge you on my pride as a warrior.)<p>

Gohan heard the man shift his tone. Was this guy challenging him?! He snarled and let his ki rise freely. He heard himself speak again.

"_Budush zhoukset svou mouc na vass odvazk._"  
>(I shall test my power upon your courage.)<p>

The man looked a little surprised, but continued. "_Budush sen uvolnit svou ceyst na vass vulin._"  
>(I shall unleash my honor upon your will.)<p>

"_Kezt rosterme zof tohto krveprolti._"  
>(May we grow stronger from this bloodletting.)<p>

"_Abaechyon neza pomnekti svun slibt._"  
>(Lest we forget our promise.)<p>

Gohan stirred at that last bit. _What is he saying?!_ His anger and frustration rose. It was something important, but what was it?!

The teenager moved from the bed to stare down at the shorter man. Rage was barely contained beneath his skin. He wanted to fight this guy. Badly. But why? Even as he raged openly, deep down some part of his clung to the wish, the will, the hope, not to fight. His body shook with the restraint.

"_Jste priprangani na met tvar?!_" Gohan's rage carried over in the new language.  
>(Are you prepared to face me?!)<p>

The man grinned. His ki flared to match the young man in front of him.

"_ZI SKHODOM MISYATSYA!_" The flame haired man shouted back.  
>(As the moon rises!)<p>

Gohan felt something snap within him. Another roar, more animal than human this time tore from his throat. That small want, that small voice deep inside was lost in the feeling of violence that swept through him. Gohan reached for the man in front of him only to find that he had vanished.

Not wasting a moment, Gohan shot out the open window and into the storm. The power of the wind and rain, lightning and thunder only added to his fury. He felt as though nature itself was challenging him. Gritting his teeth, Gohan sent out his senses to search for ki.

It was everywhere. There was ki all around him.

Gohan was shocked into silence.

Everywhere.

It was as if the world has suddenly set itself ablaze. Everything shone with power. He felt himself tense. This planet… no, the _galaxy_ was exploding with power!

Somewhere inside his mind, a faint knowledge gave him reassurance that this was normal. Every living thing had energy. It should be no surprise that everything would be alight with power. But… there was so much of it!

And what about himself?

Gohan glanced down at his body. His hands formed fists as he brought himself up to super saiyan. How did he compare to all the power in the galaxy? Who was he to fight for this planet when it was so obviously stronger than he was?

This, he determined, was what he needed to find out.

Gohan's ki continued to rise. He focused on the storm around him. Energy in the rolling clouds made it seem as though there was a sea of light dancing around his head. It taunted him. Dared him to challenge it. Lightning flickered closer and closer to the young man as if it was seeing how close it could come to make him break.

His eyes narrowed. Energy within him skyrocketed. It seemed that the lightning was drawn to his higher energy. A lightning bolt struck him dead on, but there was no reaction from the teen. Electricity struck Gohan again and again, but he never moved from his position in the sky.

There was no response from Gohan. A memory from his past assaulted him, taking precedence briefly in his mind. The first was when his uncle Raditz had decided to kidnap him. Rage surged through him as he watched his father get beaten horrible. Ignorant to the lightning strikes, Gohan felt the return of self loathing. _If I'd only been strong enough to defeat him…_

With a loud shout, he released a single pulse of energy. It grew out from him to slam into the heart of the thunderstorm. There, Gohan's energy swelled, overwhelming the natural energy of the storm. The wave of energy grew, devouring the rain clouds left and right. The storm dissipated and the natural energy fizzled away before it.

Gohan had beaten a storm.

Ignoring the sense of triumph, the teen turned in place. His senses stretched out once more to seek the original challenger. Finding the ki signature among the other flashes of light before his eyes was difficult, but he did it. Gohan powered up and was off like a shot.

Woe to whatever challenge stands in his way.

* * *

><p>Chichi wobbled her way downstairs. She couldn't believe what she saw! Gohan had turned into a beast-man in front of her eyes!<p>

She collapsed on the couch. When the two men had started speaking in another language Chichi had almost lost it. She watched as her son let loose his energy, tearing up the room with the might of his ki. She watched as he flew out the window after Vegeta, losing all sense of propriety. She watched as Gohan faced the storm and using only his breath, dispersed the wrath of nature.

Confusion mixed with a deep sadness engulfed her mind.

What were they saying? Who was that person that looked like Gohan but so obviously wasn't? What was going on with her son? Why was this have to happen to her family?

Burying her face in her hands, she wept.

"Oh Goku… why didn't you come home?"

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the otherworld, Goku sneezed.<p>

Rubbing his nose, Goku turned to King Kai. "So, when am I allowed to go back and visit earth again?"

"After a 7 year period you're allowed a 24 hour visit back on earth." King Kai said. "Why do you ask?"

Goku turned his eyes to the otherworld sky. "Cause I just got a really bad feeling just now. I hope everything is okay."

* * *

><p>"Where <em>is<em> he?!" Vegeta waited less than patiently in a barren place, miles from the Son house. If it was possible to pace back and forth in the air, Vegeta was doing it. He'd come to a spot far enough away from civilization to lessen the damage this fight would cause. Figuring that distance would create a sort of protection from the power that Gohan would be using.

Vegeta froze momentarily as he felt the spike in Gohan's ki. He watched, amazed, as the storm which had howled about him moments before, vanished.

_What the…_

Gohan's fist connected to the side of Vegeta's jaw, successfully interrupting whatever his thoughts about.

_DAMN_. Vegeta, though caught by surprise, used the momentum of the blow to spin about and catch Gohan in a roundhouse.

Gohan spun to the ground. At the last second he caught himself, touched down briefly before rocketing off the earth with a shout. A crater was left at the place where his foot touched the dirt. In an instant he was back at Vegeta who had powered up to super saiyan as well.

Vegeta pulled his arm back and let fly a huge right straight. Gohan blocked it by pulling up his knee. The resounding sound from punch meeting block sounded more or less like a stick of dynamite going off.

Gohan growled as he responded with a massive kick at Vegeta's ribs. The saiyan prince was able to bring up his elbow to block it. Another explosive sound. Blow for blow they fought, putting all their strength behind each easily telegraphed move. It was beginning to sound as if the storm had never let up. The blows so resembled thunder.

They paused for a second as their gazes met. Vegeta's eyes were full of a strange pride. _This… this boy was fighting like a saiyan!_ How he'd longed for a spar with his own kind! A challenge to test the strength of another!

When was the last time he heard the honor bound words of battle? Vegeta could barely remember. Kakkarot's brat had surprised him when he'd continued the ritual confrontation back in the house. _How'd the kid know any of that?_ Warriors of saiyan descent said the words before each battle within their people. He felt proud of this and how this half-breed was rising to the challenge. _I want to see more! Show me what you've got!_

* * *

><p>Their eyes met and they paused. Gohan's eyes showed confusion and violence. <em>Why did fighting feel this good?!<em> His mind raced. Fighting should only come to pass when there was a need! But, why couldn't he stop?! There was no reason for him to fight this guy! Gohan pulled away and gripped the sides of his head. He started sobbing. _Why do I feel so confused?_

"Weakling."

Gohan snapped his head up. The man floated there, scowling at him. _Weakling._ He remembered the storm. Strength. How did he measure up? What did it mean to be strong enough to protect? Was he strong enough to fight his own battles?

_This guy… _Gohan's gaze hardened. _I've… I've seen him before. He knows something…_ Suddenly, memories assaulted him once again. A flame haired man was beating his father. His father… was in such pain… why…

_I… wasn't strong enough…_ Rage bubbled back to the surface. _I couldn't protect him…_ His energy expanded until he reached his ascended form. Lightning flashed across his skin. His red eyes bored into the man's. _Have… have I changed? Tell me. Am I strong?_

The man seemed unfazed by the furious gaze. So Gohan decided on a different tactic. He fazed behind the man and rained down punches upon his body.

The shirtless man powered up further to match Gohan and blocked the punches. He started sending his own, alternating kicks and different styles of fighting into the mix. The teenage saiyan countered with a mix of techniques. A furious battle began. It was too fast for the human eye, but every so often one could see the two forms locked in struggle.

It was apparent to whoever was watching that there was a difference in the two fighters. Gohan easily overwhelmed the shorter man in speed and power, but fell prey to the multitude of techniques and strategies the guy threw at him. The older man was obviously more experienced and used it to his advantage. It was an intense battle as both were fighting for keeps.

They fought on equal terms for a while, keeping up where the other fell short. But, Gohan felt frustration. _This isn't it…_ He dodged a flurry of ki-blasts. _This isn't it!_ Though he raged and fought furiously, something was missing. His mind swirled around much like the energy in his veins… searching for what was lacking. _There's more… I'm not there yet! _Gohan sought a limit… he sought a greater power… The teenaged saiyan sought the reason for strength.

The younger man seemed to catch on to the other's tactics after a while. He started to mimic the techniques of his opponent. The shorter man had to overcome his own moves thrown back at him. Gohan, though in a primal state of mind, was a quick learner.

Gohan's energy rose steadily, slowly eclipsing his opponent. The flame haired man had somehow caught him in a headlock. Gohan shouted something intelligible and sent out another pulse of energy, forcing the two fighters apart. The terrain around the men continued to change as their bodies slammed into the earth. Without wasting a second, they met on the ground in a flurry of violence.

The man fought wildly, but there were more wounds on his body than before. Gohan increased his power level. He began screaming, forcing the energy in his body to expand. The very force of the energy surrounding him pushed the man back a few feet.

_What am I missing?! _Gohan's hair grew longer. His eyes, red as they were, sparked electricity. _What do I yet lack!?_ His muscles doubled again in size before contracting into hardened boulders of power. Still his energy grew. Gohan roared his feelings to the sky, allowing the ki to run wild in his body. _What is it!? _The ground shook, the air convulsed, and the forest (what was left of it) was blown away.

The man, had Gohan been watching him, was frozen in shock. Battered and bruised he darted towards the edge of the circle of destruction. So wrapped up in his own inner conflict, Gohan didn't notice him return with another person. The tall green man held a syringe in his hand. He handed the needle to the other man saying something that Gohan couldn't hear over his inner dialogue. Gohan didn't even feel the swift prick of the needle that sent sedatives flooding his system.

But he _did_ feel the close presence of the man's ki. Spinning, he backhanded the older man into a nearby mountain. He followed him, the golden glow of his body became a blur as he picked up speed. His punch pushed him clear through to the other side of the mountain. Again they resumed the fight.

The man grit his teeth and tried hard to keep up. It was difficult to keep up with the transforming saiyan. His punches always came a second too late, his kicks never connected. His strength began to fail him.

Suddenly, Gohan's transformation halted. His energy held steady for a moment before receding slowly. Gohan fought on unawares, but his opponent gained hope and redoubled his assault. Punches connected. Kicks left their mark. Ki blasts burned. Blood was shed on both accounts.

His power faltered. His hair became a normal super saiyan length. A drop in 2 power levels made him pause. The teen felt his rage and anger diminish. Rage could only get you so far after all. All his attention became focused on finding his limit… his missing component. His opponent sensed this loss of power and sent the teen plummeting into the earth with a double fisted hammer blow. He followed up with a rain of energy blasts into the pit Gohan's body created.

Gohan felt the blasts of energy drive him deeper into the earth, but wasn't really conscious of it. His mind was racing. The primal feelings stirring in his mind and pushing his body this far wrapped themselves around his intellect. He searched his body for something… anything that revealed who he was.

Power? There was immense power, but that doesn't define a person. After all, his was leaving him… for some stupid reason.

Energy? A deep well with no foreseeable bottom, but how to use it? How to reach the bottom? What kept him from it?

Anger? Rage enough to fuel a lifetime, but useless in the face of that which was missing. Useful in the right place for the right reasons.

_What am I missing?_ Gohan felt his consciousness slip. He let out a groan. The ki attacks had begun to take their toll on his body. Still he held on doggedly.

Life? Plenty of that in these parts.

Intelligence? Got tons of smarts.

Friends? Family?

A faint feeling of resonance echoed from his core. It was like the voice of a long forgotten friend. It brought a sense of excitement in the teen. _I'm close… What is it?!_ His consciousness flickered in and out. Gohan wasn't even aware that the attacks had stopped.

A tired voice rasped above him, interrupting his inner search.

"_Nasli joste svoje mikstod?_"  
>(Have you found your place?)<p>

"_Tato bitva,_" Gohan murmured, falling to his base form, "_freste naytkon seyla._"  
>(This battle, has not ended.)<p>

_No… No! I'm not done yet! I haven't… I haven't found it yet!_ Gohan's protest never made it out of his mouth. His eyes fell shut as he heard the man speak.

"_Ctim vyhledavani._" The man sighed. "_Dobry bojoval, bojovnik._"  
>(I honor your search. Well fought, warrior.)<p>

For the second time that day, Gohan was out like a light.

* * *

><p>Well… that was trippy. Confused? I know I'm not! #authorknowstheending!<br>I feel bad that I threw you another cliffhanger.  
>BUT I wanted to get this one out before I wrote the next one.<p>

Sorry if you hate saiyago. And honestly no one knows what it sounds like, so I improvised.  
>BTW do you think that the line breaks to change perspective are annoying? Any suggestions of what I could do instead?<p>

Guest star appearance by Goku! And let's not forget that warm welcome for Piccolo!  
>*applause*<p>

Please to be R&R for the reasons. I must be get better at the write-y thing-y.


	4. Explanations and Aggravations

NARWHALS and FISHGUTS  
>They are lovely together. 3<p>

**DISCLAIMER**: I own nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip. But I do own my pants. So yeah… not as cool as a dragonball, but I digress.

Ch 4: Explanations and Aggravations

* * *

><p>Vegeta plopped himself down on the ridge of the crater made by Gohan's body. He winced as he mentally counted the broken bones. <em>I anticipated a tough fight, but hell! How'd that weakling bookworm get so strong?<em> Half his ribs were cracked or worse. His left hand was shattered in a few places. Pain shot up and down his right arm. _Damn…_ Cuts and bruises covered his upper body. His pants were tattered and torn, blood seeping from a deep gash his leg.

He let out a grunt of pain as he snapped his dislocated right shoulder back into place. A moment later he smirked to himself. _I've had worse_.

The short alien man heard a noise coming from the woods behind him. He caught a glimpse of Piccolo moving to stand next to him. The two stared at the boy's fallen form. For while they watched him, monitoring his ki. It had returned to an almost normal state. After a while, Piccolo broke the silence.

"What… was that?" Piccolo's gruff voice said cautiously.

Vegeta looked turned to face him, hiding his discomfort behind a fierce scowl. "What'd it look like?" He spat.

"It looked as if Gohan was going higher than a…"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Vegeta shouted. "I _know_ what it was! I _saw_ what he could do and it WASN'T ENOUGH!" He sunk his head into his hands. "He wanted to go even higher. I had no idea there was more than one level and this… this… _boy_ finds the ascended saiyan." His voice shrunk down to a hoarse whisper. "And now… he finds _another_ higher plane of power. Am I so worthless that a _half-breed saiyan_ can achieve greater things than a prince?"

Piccolo looked down at Vegeta, shocked. Was he actually opening up? (Quick call Ripley's!)

"You are different. There is no shame in accepting that." Piccolo said. "You are stronger than before, as is Gohan."

"I don't need your sympathy!" Vegeta muttered angrily. _Why am I like this?! Emotions are unnecessary hindrances to power! _He hated feelings. Especially the truthful ones.

"Hmph. Well," Piccolo continued, frowning softly, "I get the feeling that Gohan is going to change even more by the end of this."

"You think!?" The saiyan let out a ragged sigh. "He didn't reach his limit. This will continue."

"Hmm." The tall namekian turned from Vegeta. "How long will it last?"

"It depends. I have to find out how long he's been resisting the urges." He looked sidelong at the alien. "What do you know?"

"He's been training on his own for a long while. I sparred with him until his mother found out."

"Hn."

"But that was a few years ago."

Vegeta remained silent a while. He felt a pang of something akin to sympathy for the kid. Saiyans are meant to move. Energy encompassed their being. Freedom, energy, life in motion, those are things that every saiyan needed. He'd gone through hell when that was taken away from him in Frieza's army. Memories of rage burned in his mind. There was no question of the terrible brutality that a saiyan could be capable of under those conditions.

_Damn it all._ Vegeta shook his head to clear it. _There are more important things than idiotic notions of pity. He's strong enough to adapt to this without those things._ Out loud he said, "Piccolo, go and fetch some sensu beans."

"I'm surprised you didn't think of that before you began fighting." Piccolo fought back a grin.

"Shut your face and go get the stupid beans!"

Chuckling, Piccolo flew away to the lookout to tell Dende all that had happened. The young guardian was probably shaken up by the sudden massive power and earthquake.

"I'll meet up with you back at Goku's house." Piccolo called over his shoulder as he lifted into the fading light.

Vegeta didn't bother , he stood to take a look at Gohan. The teenaged saiyan was just as roughed up as he. Not as many broken bones, definitely bloodier. Not the best shape of his life. The prince mused to himself. _I doubt he's fought so hard since Cell. Then again… _Vegeta recalled finding the child upon a snowy mountain a few years back. _Hnn… Perhaps I'd best keep a closer eye on the brat._

He limped down to the boy. Nudging him with his toe, Vegeta checked to make sure he was unconscious. Yep. Out like a light. Vegeta grunted, lifting the teen to his shoulder. Time to head back.

Taking a step, Vegeta let out a hiss of pain. Fire seared up his torso. He was in worse shape than he'd thought. Vegeta mustered the dregs of his power and lifted into the air. The dead weight on his shoulder made him wobble slightly.

The flame haired man started towards his wife's ki. She'd already be back at the house. After Gohan had gone berserk on the battlefield, Goten and Trunks had whisked Bulma away to Chichi. She'd been able to give the sedative to Piccolo beforehand.

Vegeta smiled in gratitude for Bulma. _Smart woman._ Without those sedatives, things would have gotten… intense. Vegeta was the only one to get close enough to deliver the drugs to the enraged saiyan. Piccolo couldn't even come close because of the sheer power coming off Gohan. Still, it took a while for the sedatives to take effect. _It worked, but it'll be necessary to get something stronger. _Bulma would be asking a mountain of questions. _Still, explaining all this to her will be difficult. Hopefully Kakkabrat #1 will be awake by then._

Saving his reserve as much as he could, Vegeta drifted into the fading light to the home of Son Gohan. _What a fight. _Vegeta, despite the anger and disappointment because of Gohan's near transformation, he'd actually enjoyed himself. _It's not often that I get to let loose upon a worthy opponent_. He looked thoughtfully at the boy slung across his shoulders. _I look forward to the next bout, Son of Kakkarot._

* * *

><p>Bulma paced back and forth in anxiousness. What was taking so long? She caught herself from looking at the door again. She'd been worried ever since she left the battlefield. The terrible earthquake had broken her personal jetcycle. If it wasn't for Goten and Trunks, she would not be here now.<p>

Her gaze passed over Chichi. The inventor felt sympathy for the woman. _Poor Chichi!_ When Bulma had returned to the house, she found Chichi weeping on the sofa. It took a while, but she managed to coax out the story from the hysterical woman. _To see something like that must've shocked her like nothing else._ Bulma herself was shocked to hear of the physical changes Gohan had gone through upon waking._ I'm going to make Vegeta tell me what is going on even if it means destroying the gravity room. PERMANENTLY! Heck I don't care how strong he is, I'll tear him a new one! I'll… _A squeal of happiness interrupted her determined mental ranting.

"Trunks! Your dad is coming back!" Goten shouted.

Trunks grinned broadly. "Yeah!" His face grew intense as he concentrated on his father's energy. "It's faint, but it feels like he's got Gohan with him!"

Bulma sagged with relief. _Thank Kami._

Chichi shot up from the couch. She rushed past the boys to the door. Flinging it wide, she dashed out into the night air. Dusk had fallen during the fight. Seeing Gohan lit up from behind by the flashes of lightning hours ago sent jolts of worry through her. She spun around, searching the skyline for the two saiyans.

"There they are!" Goten called from the doorway. He dashed forward to stand by his mom in the yard. Trunks was right on his heels followed by Bulma. He pointed into the sky. "They're coming down!" Two dark figures came into view. Naturally, the boys could see them more clearly with their saiyan senses.

Trunks suddenly powered up and flew up to meet his dad. Goten would've followed, but he still didn't know how to fly. He didn't bother looking for the nimbus. The little cloud quickly flew away from the huge power after taking care of Bulma.

The three dark figures lowered slowly. As they drew closer, Bulma gasped. _How horrible! _She took in their ragged state. _They look as though they've been through HIFL!_

"MY BABY!" Chichi closed the gap in an instant as they landed, pulling her son out of Vegeta's arms. Tears flowed from her eyes as she pulled him to her. "Oh my poor baby boy! What did Vegeta do to you?!"

Vegeta visibly tensed. He was getting close to simply blowing the woman up and leaving. "He's not dead." Vegeta snapped angrily. "The weakling will be fine. It looks worse than it is." Vegeta wobbled on the ground as he spoke. Abruptly he fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

"Vegeta!" Bulma was at her husband's side immediately. "Vegeta! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"No you're not!"

"What clued you in?" Vegeta coughed up a bit of blood and spat to the side. "We both sustained heavy damages, but his ki is reigned in for the moment."

"Oh Vegeta…" Bulma herself looked about ready to cry.

Vegeta snorted. "We're not going to _die_ woman! The namekian left to get those foul beans you use to heal your warriors."

"Sensu beans?" Bulma smacked a hand to her head. "Why didn't I think of that?!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and struggled again to his feet. Trunks, who'd been watching in shock, put his small hands around his father's wrist and fed him a small burst of power. Vegeta looked down at his son, surprised. His eyes softened and he gave him a small nod before limping slowly into the house. Trunks smiled and followed him.

Bulma turned to Chichi. She took in the sight of the woman kneeling on the ground, holding her son close to her chest. Bulma's heart tightened within her. She knelt next to the dark-haired mother. "Chichi, we'd better get Gohan inside." She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. Vegeta said that he'll be fine. You know how strong Gohan is."

Chichi looked up from Gohan. Her eyes shone with tears. "Why is this happening?"

"Let's go find out. I'm sure Vegeta will tell us everything." _Or else!_

Chichi sniffled. "Okay." She turned to Goten and regained some of her earlier fire. "Goten, Help me get Gohan inside. He's as heavy as your father!"

Goten grinned, happy that big brother was back. Trunk's dad sure was scary when he was grumpy. He got behind Gohan and lifted him up with many grunts and 'oomphs'. His small hands lifting him under the arms. Chichi was about to lift her eldest son's legs when she froze. She swiftly leaned over and lifted Gohan's upper lip.

Normal teeth.

No fangs.

Chichi let out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness." She muttered, lifting his legs and backing into the house. "I didn't want to have to get Gohan braces. Bad enough that he was fighting instead of studying!"

Bulma almost fell over. _That's what she was worried about?! _She shook her head. _Same old Chichi._

They entered the house and moved to the living room. Vegeta was already there, slung over one of the easy chairs. He opened his eyes when they entered and watched as they maneuvered Gohan to the couch. Gohan didn't stir once during the whole thing. His breathing was slow and even as though he were in a deep sleep.

"It was enough to take out a hormonal saiyan." Vegeta murmured, "The hell was in that sedative?"

Bulma shot him a triumphant look. "I figured it out after watching you with dad's cat." Vegeta raised an eyebrow. He only touched the cat once in his memory. He still hated that thing. "I know saiyans have incredible recovery time, so I mixed gorilla and lion sedative with catnip."

Vegeta frowned. "Catnip?" He said the unfamiliar word.

"It is a favorite treat for cats. It makes them relax. I figured if I could get your body to relax enough to let the sedatives work, you'd be knocked cold in no time!"

Vegeta stared at her. Chichi stared at her. Trunks stared at her. Goten looked around in confusion before curling up next to his sleeping big brother.

Chichi finally spoke. "You dosed Gohan… with catnip… and it _worked_?"

"Yep!" Bulma grinned broadly. _Of course I put in other relaxants, but what's the fun in telling them that?_

"Crazy woman." Vegeta shook his head at her, smirking. It was amazing what this woman could come up with. He sobered quickly however upon remembering how slow it was to work. "Make it stronger for the next time. He almost overpowered it."

"NEXT TIME?!" Chichi's shrill scream rattled the pictures on the wall. She took a breath before speaking again. "What do you mean… _next time_?!"

The saiyan prince frowned. "He didn't reach his limit. This will happen again."

"Oh NO. NONONONONO." Chichi's face was the perfect picture of restrained fury. "Gohan is going RIGHT BACK to school without ANY OF THIS NONSENSE. This was a onetime thing that we are NOT going to have a repeat of! I'm not letting my son become a fight crazed lunatic! He's going to become a great doc-"

"SHUT UP YOU KAMI FORSAKEN HARPY!" Vegeta roared. He'd had enough with this woman. "This is not something to be taken lightly! If the boy does NOTHING he'll end up going insane with his search for power and end up KILLING YOUR WORTHLESS RACE."

Chichi's face drained of color. "Gohan would never…"

"OH YES HE WOULD. You think I did this to myself?!" The man gestured to his badly beaten body. "This was all because he challenged me to a fight. I didn't ask for it… HE DID."

"B-but… You provoked him!"

"Pff." Vegeta scoffed. "I simply woke him up. There were no provocations involved." Bulma rolled her eyes at this and thought to herself, _Yeah right._ "You were present at his awakening. I am sure you remember his primal form. This _will _happen again if you don't let him fight." He smirked. "Though if you think that this puny planet isn't worth saving, I think I need to get back to my training."

Chichi, pale from the implications of his words, shook her head.

"Good." Vegeta straightened painfully in the chair. Chichi, though still in a state of partial shock, scowled at the blood now on her upholstery. Bulma winced. _I'll have to pay for the re-upholstery. Again._

"As much as I hate to admit it, Vegeta's right Chichi." Bulma said gently. "But you know how Gohan is. Even if he has to battle, he won't turn into some fight crazed idiot. (like Vegeta?) Gohan is one of the smartest kids I know. He's just searching for his identity. All kids go through that at some point."

Vegeta scoffed. This was more than some pathetic hormonal search for identity. This was a coming of age rite! Not some teenager touchy feel bullcrap. Chichi merely nodded, mollified.

"Now," Bulma said, "I think it's high time we get some answers!" She glared at Vegeta. "And I swear, you'd better spill it right now or I'll never fi-"

"Fine." Vegeta interrupted her mid tirade.

Bulma continued on for a moment, "-x the gravity room ever agai-what?"

"I said 'fine' as in 'fine, I will tell you'."

The blue haired woman blushed. "Well, get on with it!" She pouted, flouncing down on the end of the couch furthest from Gohan. Trunks placed himself at his father's feet looking up at him with an interested expression. Chichi plopped herself in front of the couch, seemingly to protect her child.

Vegeta cleared his throat and leaned forward. "When a saiyan reaches a certain age," He began, "he or she, depending, comes into the height of their current physical power and energy. Understand that saiyans as a race are not bloodthirsty killers as they are made out to be, but rather lovers of battle, competitions, and challenges."

"Yeah! Goku was like that ever since he was a kid. Always wanting to grow stronger." Bulma interrupted.

"Don't I know it!" Chichi continued. "Oh, but he was such a cute guy! I fell for him instantly! Why… I remember the first time we-"

"Oh I'm sorry. Am I interrupting your worthless conversation?" Vegeta said, voice dripping sarcasm, "You seem to not care about the fate of the boy."

After a moment's silence, Vegeta continued. "It was well known that once a young saiyan came into this peak, they would search out new challenges to test themselves. Find their limits and surpass them to become greater warriors. I've said before that my race is one of unlimited potential. That potential, however, must be found and tried. Back in the earliest times of our race, it was difficult to do so as those who went through it were badly beaten and scarred. In order to keep the testing under control, our elders and king set up rules and customs, holding each person to an oath." He turned his eyes to Chichi. "What you heard in the bedroom was that very oath. It is ingrained into who we are as a people so much that it became a part of who we were personally. I don't know how the hell the brat knew about it or how he learned saiyago, but he honored that oath today."

Bulma frowned. "Saiyago?"

Vegeta scowled, not liking the interruptions. "My native language."

She let out a squeal. Vegeta had never told her anything about his culture before. Her curiosity over his past and people outweighed her annoyance at only finding out about this now. "Can you say something for me? How did you learn English? Are you fluent in any other language? How many do you kn-"

"Stop your yammering!" Vegeta snarled. He massaged the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger tiredly. "Hold your foolish inquiries until I'm done!" He felt so incredibly drained after that fight. It was all he could do to stay awake to give an explanation.

"Yeah mom! Wait till dad finishes!" Trunks agreed. He was enjoying this. _Maybe Gohan oughta get sick more often._ He mused to himself.

"Fine! I'm just asking is all. I've never heard any of this before. It's only natural I'd be curious." Bulma pouted. _Better keep a mental log of my questions then. I'll interrogate him later!_

Vegeta glared at her before speaking. "Why do you think I've never said anything about it?! Anyway, there were few saiyans who could not, for some reason, fulfill the needed testing. They could not find their limit. Eventually the search for power drove them mad. The people who came near them were perceived as challengers and were viciously attacked. Even things that were harmless were assaulted. They didn't know how to cope with their power and soon killed themselves."

Chichi's mouth fell open. "WHAT."

"It only happened a few times in our history. Mostly because of exile for some wrongdoing or whatever." Vegeta shrugged. "I've never seen it happen in my lifetime. But I was told that it was a danger. This is why the boy must be allowed to test himself." Chichi began to babble, but was cut off by another raspy sounding voice.

"So, if I don't find my limit, I'll die?"

Bulma turned to see Gohan sitting upright on the couch, Goten hanging around his neck. "Gohan!" Bulma cried, "You're awake! You're supposed to be out for another 4 hours at least!"

Bulma was about to continue when Chichi cut her off by bursting into tears and practically crushing Gohan in her arms. "MY BABY! You're going to be okay Gohan! We're going to fix you up good as new!" Goten was stuck in the middle of the two. His face was turning blue from lack of air. "You are going to get all better and head back off to school to finish your education and get a degree and get married and have children and be a wealthy successful-"

"Mom… can't… breathe…" Goten managed to gasp out.

"Oh! Sorry sweetie!" Chichi quit her ranting and released the boys.

Goten flopped down on Gohan's lap, gasping for breath. Gohan looked similar, but he was drastically pale from the pressure applied to his bruised, if not broken, ribs.

"Mom, that's fine but, we really need to listen to Vegeta now okay?" Gohan rasped out painfully. "I want to know what's going on… and what happened to me."

Vegeta, who had been boiling with rage at the constant interruptions, cooled down enough to ask, "What do you remember?"

"Not much." Gohan put a hand to his head. "I remember anger… and strange words I didn't know I knew. I was so confused…"

Vegeta's eyebrow arched. "I see. Your memories will return with your strength I suppose."

"Hey Vegeta," Bulma asked, forgetting to save this question until the end, "how come Gohan is not going all psycho freak on us right now?"

"He's half human." Vegeta stated bluntly. No reason to sugarcoat things. That was never his style. "His urges will have to be particularly strong in order to cause him to lose himself like that again." He turned his eyes to Gohan. "You are going through saiyan puberty. This is a point where all young saiyans test their power and potential. Yours is late in coming because you haven't been fighting anyone." Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Your human side might have had an effect, but I've never dealt with a half saiyan before. In any case you will seek out challenges until you are satisfied that you know who you are and how high you can go at this point." Vegeta closed his eyes and spoke as if reciting from memory. "Your hormones are incredibly unstable. Thus you will be hard pressed to control yourself. Generally though, if you perceive something as a challenge, you will be helpless to stop yourself from taking it head on. Through this process you will learn about yourself, who you are as a warrior. It is like a rite of passage into manhood and is a crucial step in saiyan culture." He opened his eyes to look back at the battered young man. "You seem to be able to fight your urges for battle. Do not do that often. If you repress it, the greater the damage will be when it is unleashed. This is part of who you are, who your ancestors were, and who your father is." He grimaced. "Yes… even Kakkarot, fool that he is, went through his own rite here on earth."

Gohan nodded his head slowly. It felt like it was made of lead and pain. The slight movement made his whole body throb. "This is good to know and I want to hear more, but how exactly did I end up this way? My last clear memory was flying through a storm with Goten."

"Oh yeah!" Goten piped up. "We got hit by that lightning bolt, remember?" His normally cheerful face scrunched up in sadness. "You got really sick and I had to get you home."

The teenage saiyan rubbed his brother's back gently. "It's alright squirt. I'll be okay." Goten turned his tear filled eyes to the floor and nodded. He was a big boy now. No need for tears. Goten sniffled a bit before snuggling up against Gohan again.

"Hn." Vegeta scowled at the open display of affection. "The lightning must've triggered the testing phase."

Gohan shook his head. "No. I felt this feeling before at school. We had a food fight in school and…"

"A food fight?" Chichi interrupted her son with a stern look. "Don't tell me you were the one to cause it!"

"Well, it was mostly your cooking that they were throwing around…"

"Son Gohan! You know better than to-"

This time, Chichi was the one interrupted by the growl of Gohan's stomach.

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry mom. I didn't have much lunch."

Chichi opened her mouth to retort, but let out a sigh instead. "It figures. We'll have to talk more about this later."

Gohan sighed. No doubt he'd be punished for that.

Vegeta snorted. "Wasteful humans." He paused to recollect his train of thought. "You fell unconscious because your body had fought this for far too long. Instead of your will giving in, your body did."

Gohan's eyes became serious. "You mean if I continue to fight this…"

"You will eventually wear yourself out to the point where you can no longer control it." Vegeta waved a hand in the air. "This is becoming repetitive." (No kidding.) "You are in this current state because of an oath you swore in a language you do not know to accept a challenge." He smirked. "I fought you, bested you, and then dragged you back to this hovel."

"That's not how I remember it." Piccolo walked in the door, which they forgot to close when they'd came in. In his hand was a small brown bag. He casually tossed it at Vegeta. "You were going out of control with your power and royally beating the prince here to pieces."

Vegeta snatched the bag out of the air. "Shut your trap, namekian!" He snarled before digging a bean out of the bag. "Your perception is horribly awry if you think that this mere boy could beat a Saiyan Elite!" He popped the bean in his mouth and crunched it angrily. After swallowing, the sensu bean went straight to work. His bones mended, cuts and bruises healed, swelling went away, and his exhaustion lessened. This process continued until he was all but healed. The feeling of extreme fatigue was still there, but that was something that only a good sleep could get rid of.

"Sorry for hurting you so bad Vegeta."

Vegeta hurled the bag of beans at the boy's face. It hit him square in the nose. "Shut the hell up and eat!"

Piccolo chuckled and leaned against the wall. It was so easy to rile Vegeta. Even Gohan snickered a little as he chewed the bean. Piccolo said, "We had to sedate you to calm you down, kid. That's why you woke up here."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Gohan's face regained a more normal color. He'll be sore come tomorrow morning. "I'm starting to remember things now…" His mind struggled to recall the events of a few hours ago. "Something about a storm…and energy." His eyes grew wide. "There was ki everywhere! I saw it all! The planet, the galaxy, no, the whole universe was lit up with power!" Gohan looked at Vegeta in wonder. "I saw it all and… it made me curious…"

Vegeta nodded. "You saw the standard and sought to measure yourself." He'd been there himself once. What an experience it was. To see all the energy in existence and find yourself lacking.

"Yeah." Gohan's eyes grew serious. "I didn't find it though. My limit. There was… something missing…" He shook his head, frustrated. "Why can't I remember?"

Bulma smiled sympathetically. "That's the sedative talking. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come back to you."

"I hope so."

* * *

><p>They group talked a while longer before grumbling stomachs made it too hard to hear what was said. Chichi left the room to heat up the long cold dinner that sat in the kitchen. She was able to whip up a few more dishes for her guests and they all sat down to a meal. Piccolo declined to eat and instead left to meditate near his customary waterfall.<p>

After eating, the conversation continued. Bulma poured out her questions to Vegeta who answered them in a short a way as he possibly could.

It went something like this:

"So you know Saiyago huh?"

"Hn."

"Why have you never mentioned it before?"

"Reasons."

"That's a crap excuse!"

"Hn."

"Would you teach me?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Reasons."

"CRAP EXCUSES VEGETA!"

"Deal."

"… Do you know any other languages?"

"Hn."

"Which ones?"

"All of them."

"What? No you don't! Prove it!"

"No."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Reasons."

"AAAGH!"

Needless to say this went on for a while.

Anyway, the Briefs family decided to head home after dinner. Vegeta was getting crankier by the minute and Bulma didn't want to pay for any more household damages. Goten and Trunks had fallen asleep during all the talking after dinner. Goten was carried off to bed by Chichi while Trunks was cradled in Bulma's arms.

Before they left, however, Vegeta sat Gohan down in the living room for some needed saiyan to saiyan advice. He explained that movement was a good thing. Expelling pent-up energy and aggression with sparring or physical training. Self training was better than nothing when no one else was around. Meditation helped, but only until the need to find the next challenge overrode all other thoughts. Vegeta stressed the idea of release and made Gohan swear to spar as much as he could with him. Gohan accepted this happily, glad to get back into training again. He'd missed his days of running around with Piccolo.

Gohan took the opportunity to ask Vegeta about school. Vegeta didn't care one way or another, so that meant he'd be going back if his mother had anything to say about it. He asked how his hormones would affect him. Vegeta claimed that he'd feel a mix of things as it was different for each person. He, however, did tell Gohan that his senses would be amplified during this time as a result. This would include his ki sensing ability.

The talk ended and Vegeta followed his family out the door. Gohan stopped him with one last question.

"How long will this last?"

Vegeta turned from the doorway. "Until a limit is found."

"Yeah I get that. Can I at least get a time frame here?"

"You have to last with these raging hormones for about 2 weeks. Any longer than that..."

Gohan waved his hands in the air. "I get it. Repetitive."

The flame haired man smirked at this before strutting out the door and into the night.

"Thank you Vegeta." Gohan called after him. He heard an answering grunt before sensing Vegeta's ki move back to Capsule Corp with Bulma and Trunks.

Wearily he closed the front door and headed up to his room. His mother had gone straight to bed after putting Goten down for the night. Today had been rough for the woman, so he couldn't blame her for hitting the sack early and leaving him to see the Briefs off. He was actually kind of glad that she did. He probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the verbal beating he would've received after she found out about the food fight.

Gohan stumbled into his room and fell on the bed.

"Hey!" A yelp sounded from under the covers. Surprised, Gohan rolled over and uncovered a small form.

"Goten!" Gohan said, "You're supposed to be in bed! Your _own_ bed!"

"Yeah, but I couldn't sleep." Goten sat up on the bed, a frown across his face. "I kept thinking that something bad was gonna happen to you again."

The older boy felt a pang of guilt. He'd really scared his little brother. "Don't worry squirt. I'm going to be just fine."

"O-okay big brother." Sniffles echoed in the dark.

Gohan sighed. "Well, I won't tell mom if you sleep in my room tonight. But this is the only time!"

The grin across Goten's face was too big to hide. Gohan felt like he'd been played… by a 6-year-old no less!

"Thanks Gohan!" Goten moved up against his big brother's chest and sighed happily.

Gohan smiled despite his disgruntlement and ruffled Goten's messy hair. "Goodnight Goten."

"G'night Gohan."

* * *

><p>This was gonna be a longer chapter, but I felt like putting too much more in here would just make this chapter too tedious.<br>Heck even Vegeta knew that I was repeating stuff!

For those who want to know when I update, I'm sorry. I don't have a set release schedule.  
>Ya see, inspiration often hits me suddenly and I write like a madman! Then it leaves me and I stare at the computer screen in a loss.<br>In other words, it takes a while. I'll post 'em as I'm satisfied with 'em.

BUT REVIEWS ENCOURAGE ME. So if you'd like more, let me know how I did! R&R please!


	5. School Day Challenges

Let's dance until we projectile vomit!  
>Okay… maybe not too much.<p>

**DISCLAIMER**: I own a lovely little plushie shaped like Nikola Tesla! But not DBZ or any of the characters therein. However, this mini-Tesla is adorbs, so I'm okay with it.

Ch. 5: School day Challenges

* * *

><p>Gohan awoke to dawn just beginning to break outside his window. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, wondering why he woke up so early. The sun was barely coming up! He glanced over at his alarm clock.<p>

5:00 AM.

He groaned softly. He didn't have to get up for another two hours! Gohan was about to get out of bed when he felt a weight on his chest. _Goten!_ He forgot that the boy had crawled in bed with him last night. Slowly, so as not to wake him, he lifted himself off the bed and moved to the bathroom. Stripping, he turned on the shower as hot as it could go.

_Aaah._ A sigh of relaxation escaped his lips as he stepped into the stream. It had been a while since he last got up this early. _I'd forgotten how quiet it is in the early morning. Maybe that's why mom always gets up so early._ Gohan guessed that Chichi would be getting up in an hour or so.

He ran a hand through his black hair. _Why do I feel so restless this morning?_ He thought about it a moment. _I even feel kinda sore… like I worked out too hard or… _

Yesterday's events hit him like a ton of bricks._ Oooh yeah… Puberty. This restless feeling must be from hormones. I guess it makes sense. But so early? Geez!_ He rolled his shoulders, frowning at the tightness in them. _I'm still stiff from yesterday. Maybe I should take Vegeta's advice and go for a quick run or something._ His mind traveled through yesterday's events. _Man, this is all so hard to take in. Will I really go insane and die from this? I mean… what if I can't find my limits? Why do I have to find out how far I can go in the first place? I mean sure, I'd like to know. Growing stronger is a no-brainer, but why do it in the first place?_ Gohan rested his head against the shower wall and let water flow over his back. _And anyway, how is this supposed to tell me who I am? I mean… I thought I already knew. How could challenging myself tell me who I am as a person? I guess it would tell me who I am as a fighter though. _He smiled softly. _Dad and Vegeta went through puberty before, so they must've gone through testing too. I wonder what it was like for them. This, as crazy as it seems, really is a part of who I am. _The teen rubbed his hands over his face. _I just wish Dad was here._

Gohan showered quickly and crept back to his room. Better not to dwell too long on sad thoughts right? Slipping into a training gi, he waved at his snoring little brother and opened the window. The teen hopped out and floated to the ground a few yards from the house. Warming up, he stretched his aching muscles and did simple exercises until they felt almost fluid again.

Gohan straightened from his stretches and looked to the horizon. "I think I have time for a quick run." He said to himself. "I won't go flying. I'd rather work out my body today anyway." He loped off into the forest. Picking up his pace slowly, he leapt over a small ditch, running around trees and boulders.

Soon enough, he was practically flying along the ground. He swung past trees like they weren't even there. Jumping over roots and low branches, diving under ones that were a little higher, swinging off a few branches. If anyone was watching, they would be marveling at a parkour master!

_I wonder…_ Gohan swerved between trees like a flowing river. _How fast can I go?_ He pumped his legs faster. The Gohan-blur pushed power into his steps, leaping and bounding over obstacles as if they weren't even there. Catching a glance down, he saw his shadow in front of him. A fire lit in his onyx eyes. His shadow... _I can go faster than this!_ The Gohan-blur began to faze out here and there. His speed becoming akin to a jet plane.

If you were standing in the forest on a calm, cloudless day and a sudden wind knocked you off your feet with a fierce intensity… It might've been Gohan racing his shadow.

The teen saiyan came upon a mountain. Picking up even more speed, he set his course straight for it. A thrill shot through him as he ran up the mountain. Nothing stopped him from this ascent. Power surged through him. Energy fueled his steps. His muscles strained and Gohan reveled in the feeling.

It is said that parkour is an expression of freedom in motion. Freedom is what flowed through this young man's veins. Pumping life through the body. Soothing the troubled soul. Erasing doubt about tests and limits.

He reached the top faster than expected. On the other side of the mountain was a sheer drop. The Gohan-blur grinned broadly and went faster towards the precipice. With a loud whoop he shot off the edge of the cliff. He free fell for a while, enjoying the feel of the weightlessness. The rush of wind. The pounding of his heart. The feel of life.

But the ground is an attractive lady. Gohan spun in the air to land on his feel and shot forward with a resounding boom. Earth loosed behind him as he pushed himself farther. _How fast can I go?_ He felt the wind ripping at his clothes. He felt the earth beneath his feet, unyielding. He felt the sheer unbridled joy of running as fast as you could. In a sense, the teen had challenged himself. He hadn't noticed his power level increase at all, though sparks of energy could be seen arcing over him. What Gohan also didn't notice was how worn down his shoes were at this point.

Suddenly the sole of his left shoe ripped off.

* * *

><p>"Gohan… why is your face all red?"<p>

Gohan laughed sheepishly. "Don't ask." He'd gone straight home after tripping and falling on his face with enough force to cause a small Gohan shaped crater. His face had taken the brunt of the damage, leaving him with a few scratches and a general redness in his cheeks. _I just hope mom doesn't find out that I ruined another pair of sneakers._ He stuffed the torn shoes under his mattress. It had taken him a while to fly back as well. As it turns out, he ran a whole lot further than he'd thought.

Goten shrugged. "Mom said to let you know that breakfast is almost ready." He pouted slightly. "I wanted to wake you up this morning, but you were already gone!"

"Sorry squirt!" He ruffled his brother's hair before moving to his dresser to change into his school clothes. "I just woke up early. I got bored, so I went outside for a little exercise."

"Can I come next time?"

"Maybe. I was up pretty early."

"Cool! Tomorrow is gonna be so sweet!" Happily, Goten turned to the door. "I'm gonna wait downstairs for breakfast. You'd better hurry up!"

Gohan chuckled as he pulled his shirt over his head. That kid sure did inherit his father's stomach. Well, so did he, but Goten was far more serious about it. He willed himself away from thoughts of his father. _Happier thoughts… think happier thoughts._

He buckled a belt around his waist to keep his pants from falling off his frame. Most of the clothes he wore were baggy. Lovely baggy clothes showed nothing of his musculature. _Why don't I show off my body?_ The question sprang unbidden to his mind. Gohan shook his head. _That's stupid! I don't want anyone to think I am some kind of freak! Besides… I'm still trying to hide Saiyaman from Videl. Still, it would be nice… someday. I could wear whatever I wanted… No one would think I was weak…_

Gohan smacked himself gently. _That's a stupid idea! I'd be found out faster than Goten could eat his breakfast! Speaking of which… _Gohan hurried into the kitchen. If he was late he wouldn't get anything to eat!

Chichi finished setting the table as Gohan came skidding into the kitchen. He promptly thanked her for the food and dug in. His little brother doing the same. Chichi froze, her breath catching in her throat as she studied her oldest son.

Still no fangs.

Normal eye color.

She let out a sigh. _Thank Kami._ Out loud she said, "Good morning boys. Goten, I want to you come with me today when I go get the groceries. If you are good, I'll let you pick out a snack." Goten said something that sounded like 'hooray!' around his mouthful of food. "Gohan, I want to you take it easy at school today. We don't want a repeat of yesterday."

Gohan swallowed his bite of food and nodded. "Yes ma'am. I'll be careful."

"Good. I still want to talk to you about the food fight yesterday," Gohan flinched at her tone, "But it'll have to wait. Besides, I don't think you meant to start it on purpose, right?"

He nodded vigorously. "Absolutely! I'll tell you about it when I get home from Bulma's."

Chichi paused from eating her own small plate of breakfast. "You're going to Bulma's today?"

"Yeah. Vegeta had me swear to spar with him as much as I can." Gohan flashed the Son grin. "After all, the sooner I can find this limit, the better."

"I guess so. But you are putting your nose to the books when you get home!" Chichi's tone took on an air of haughtiness. "Though I don't see why you have to go through all this nonsense."

Gohan felt a twinge of annoyance. "It's not nonsense. This is serious, mom. You remember what Vegeta said."

She sighed. "I'm sorry Gohan. Just… be careful okay?"

"No worries."

Gohan finished his breakfast and went to the door. "See you guys later!" He took off to school, followed by the calls of his brother and mother.

* * *

><p>"So did you see that crazy weather we had yesterday?"<p>

Gohan flinched as Videl answered Erasa. "Yeah. It was so weird. The storm was bad, but it cleared up instantly."

"I hear ya, but it was nowhere near as bad as that earthquake we felt later."

"Tell me about it! The windows in my room shattered from the force of it!"

"You're telling me!" Sharpner added. "It was so strong that it caused a whole skyscraper to start leaning sideways."

"No kidding!" Erasa said, "We haven't had anything so bad happen since cell!"

Gohan winced. _Not cool. Didn't think I'd get compared with Cell today. _He hadn't seen too much of the city as he decided to walk to school instead of landing on the roof. _I didn't know I caused so much damage! I mean… I apologized for all the broken china in mom's cabinet, but I thought that was the worst of it! _Tripping up earlier had left him a little aggravated, so walking it out was the better choice. He hadn't seen any robberies or whatnot either, so he didn't bother switching to saiyamode.

They started talking about the damages of the cell games. Gohan buried his face in the textbook, trying to block them out. _Memories are one thing I don't need right now._ He remembered when he fought Vegeta. How the memories of previous fights rose up to anger him. _Not in school. Not today. Nope._

The teacher walked in and began teaching. Effectively stopping the conversation between his classmates. Gohan tried to focus on the lesson at hand, but his mind kept wandering back to his own issues. Surprisingly enough, he felt pretty normal. _The hormones must not be so strong right now. Maybe it's because I expelled a good amount of energy this morning. Hopefully I'll have nothing to worry about today. _

A few class periods passed and besides being more or less bored out of his skull, Gohan found himself coping easily. A few times he felt the urge just to run around the classroom or do something active, but stifled that as soon as it appeared. He just wished that something… anything would happen to distract him from the sheer boredom of school. Eventually his thoughts turned again to yesterday. He thought about seeing all the power in the universe and wondered if he could do that again. It seemed so surreal. But it was the most fantastic sight he'd ever seen. He concluded that he would try to trigger it again just to bask in the sight. Though it wasn't like it would happen in the middle of the school day.

Abruptly, the school bell signaled the lunch break. Gohan pumped his arm into the air and let out a small 'yesssss' before stuffing things into his bag. Videl watched as he raced down the stairs and out of the classroom.

"Gohan is really excited for lunch." Erasa commented.

"Well that's no surprise. His stomach is almost as loud as yours Videl." Sharpner followed.

Videl made a face. "Thanks for that." She said sarcastically. Her friends just laughed. Videl moved from her seat and headed towards the door. "You guys coming or what?"

"Sure. You sittin' at the usual table?" Erasa smiled.

"Actually, I was gonna go eat with Gohan."

"Gohan?!" Sharpner was surprised. "Why do ya wanna eat with that nerd?"

"He's not a nerd Sharpner!" Erasa protested. "He's just socially awkward is all."

"No kidding." Videl jerked a thumb over her shoulder as she spoke. "He usually eats out on the roof by himself. He only came down yesterday when I threatened him about it."

Erasa bopped her friend on the shoulder. "Bad! No threatening new students!" She winked at Videl. "Especially the cute ones." Videl rolled her eyes and Sharpner scoffed. Erasa was the kind of person to notice someone's looks first and everything else later. "Anyway, that food fight yesterday probably scared him from the cafeteria forever!"

"Maybe. That wimp probably couldn't handle it!" Sharpner smirked.

Erasa looked down, shamefaced. "Well, I still need to thank him. For, you know… when you two saved my butt."

"No worries Erasa." Videl turned and headed up to the roof. "I don't think he minded so much. C'mon guys." The two blonds followed her.

Up on the roof, Gohan had already started digging in to his bountiful lunch. His senses were pleasantly overwhelmed by the sight and smell of good food. They were almost to the point where he blocked out what was surrounding him, but he still managed to sense people up on the roof with him.

He gulped down his mouthful of rice and looked over at the trio coming towards him. "Hey guys! Why're you up here on the roof?"

"Well at least I know why you eat alone." Videl wrinkled her nose. "You were shoveling it in like you were starving or something."

Erasa sent an elbow into her friend's ribs. "We just wondered why you didn't come down to the cafeteria today."

Gohan grinned sheepishly. "Well, last time I went a food fight started. I don't wanna start any more trouble."

"Told ya so." Sharpner smirked at Videl.

She just scowled at him and plopped herself down next to Gohan. "Since we're here, why don't we eat with you?" She glared at his surprised face. "You don't mind at _all_, do you Gohan?"

"N-no! Go right ahead!" He watched at his classmates sat next to him and opened their lunches. Videl just scowled. She didn't bring anything to eat. Again. Instead she looked expectantly over at Gohan. She stared at him a while before looking back to his lunch. Then up at Gohan again.

He returned her stare. Inwardly he grinned. _I see what you are doing! If you want something, you are going to have to ask. Politely!_

"Gohan."

"Yeah Videl?" Gohan's face was the picture of innocence.

Videl's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything.

"What?" Gohan said, not missing the scowl on Videl's face.

Sharpner and Erasa watched the showdown, slightly amused. Not many people resisted Videl. The two blondes were among the few that did. As a result, they became good friends with the police girl. Videl was popular and famous, sure. But in a way, that kept her from opening up to people. Videl, after all, isn't a bad person. She's actually the complete opposite. A righteous, but rough and tumble girl. One that usually gets her way without any effort.

Gohan took a large bite out on an onigiri, watching her reaction. Videl's eye twitched. Gohan's gaze held steady in its oblivious innocence. Inside though, he was grinning madly. _So, she thinks she can get her way without asking? Ha! You can't pull one over on Son Gohan! Goten does a much better job than you do._ A smile spread over his face as he swallowed. _Challenge accepted._ He caught himself. _Hold up! What was that? No! This is not a challenge!_ His smile vanished. _She is just being stubborn about this. Not a challenge. Keep it together Gohan…_

Videl interrupted his mental issues with a sigh. "Nothing." She said. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared longingly at his lunch.

Gohan couldn't hold back his chuckles. "Geez Videl! If you wanted some, all you had to do was ask!" He held out a sandwich to the girl. "I'm not that much of a glutton."

She glared angrily at the sandwich. "Don't want any." She muttered, looking away. Videl's stomach rumbled angrily. A blush, fiery red, spread over her cheeks.

"Oh just take the stupid sandwich Videl!" Erasa giggled. "It's not gonna kill you to be nice about it."

Videl snatched the sandwich out of Gohan's hand. "Shut it Erasa." She muttered thanks to him before taking a bite.

Sharpner shook his head at Gohan's troubled expression. "She does that to everyone dude. Don't take it personal."

"Yeah. Videl doesn't like to take handouts." Erasa winked. "But sometimes she can't tell the difference between drooling fanboys and nice guys who like to share." Videl shot her angry looks, but couldn't say anything with her mouth full. "Uh… Gohan?"

"Yeah Erasa?"

"Thanks for yesterday. You didn't need to take the fall for me like you did."

"Hey it was partially my fault you know. Most of the casualties were caused by my mom's cooking." Gohan smiled. "Don't worry about it."

"Thanks Gohan." Erasa sighed happily. "That was eating me up all last night. The earthquake didn't bother me as much as that did."

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Hah, yeah." _Gotta change the subject._ "So, did you do the homework for physics class?"

"Ugh. Don't even get me _started_ on how much I hate that class." Erasa shook her head. "Some days I wonder how anyone can understand any of that stuff!"

"Oh, it's not too bad Erasa."

"Says you Mr. I-got-perfect-scores-on-the-entrance-exam." Sharpner contradicted. "You probably do stuff like that in your sleep."

Gohan pouted. "I'm not that much of a nerd."

"Sure thing. Say, what did we discuss yesterday anyways?"

"We talked about how to calculate the mass of an object when under a force exceeding 500 Newtons in an environment lacking.."

"Neeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrd!" Sharpner broke out in laughter.

"Hey! That's not fair!" He sputtered. Eventually though, he ended up chuckling with the others. Thank Kami for lunch.

* * *

><p><em>Kami has forsaken me. <em>

Gohan's chin rested on his desk. _This is nothing less than an inhumane torture method for high school students._ Sure he'd joked with the others about physics class being tough, but it was _so boring_. Sharpner wasn't wrong. He could do this stuff in his sleep. _Kami, why did you invent physics class? Why did you make me go to school?_ His mental whining cut off as a light snore made it to his ears.

Erasa slumped over in her seat, sleeping like a baby. Gohan had half a mind to join her. But for some reason, he couldn't. Not for lack of trying though.

He squirmed in his seat. Restless feelings resurged in him. _Dang hormones._ He tried to settle his mind and meditate. The teacher's droning voice penetrated his mental barriers. _Dang teacher._ He settled on flipping his pen around in his hand. Faster it spun until he lost focus and it flew from his hand and out the open window. _Dang pen!_ Having lost one mode of entertainment, Gohan turned to making paper origami. He'd gotten through 5 paper cranes, 3 frogs, 4 water bombs, and 2 secret boxes all on the same sheet of paper. It was now too crinkly to fold any more. _Dang paper._

Suddenly, the class jolted into wakefulness by a familiar beeping noise. Videl held her watch up to her face.

"Go ahead chief."

"Videl!" A voice could be heard through the static. "We're under fire here! A group of heavily armed men have taken hostages and have barricaded themselves inside the bank off west main! We need your help!"

Gohan celebrated. _Yesssss!_ This was just what he needed._ Thank you Kami! Time for Saiyaman to make an appearance!_

"I'm on my way." Videl vaulted the desk and ran down the stairs. "There's an emergency." She called to the teacher as she dashed out the door.

The teacher, Mr. Exermerner (I am so sorry), muttered something like "Yeah yeah, go take care of the city. Just fail my class like everyone else." He was not in a very good mood.

Mr. Exermerner had yelled a bit to try and restore order. Every time that Videl was called away it caused a stir. The lesson resumed after the gossip of the class had died down. A few minutes passed in droning teacher noises before a lone hand went up.

"Mr. Exermerner?" (This was the worst idea)

The teacher sighed. "What is it Mr. Son?"

"May I be excused?"

"And why, pray tell, should you be allowed to leave my class?"

"I have to use the restroom."

"Well, you should've thought of that BEFORE you came into class today."

"But sir..."

"But nothing, Mr. Son! By my understanding, _everyone_ in this class is having a hard time understanding the _simplest_ of equations." Mr. Exermerner grew red in the face. "You are always asking to be excused. Not today, Mr. Son! You are going to learn this Kami-dang-it and you are going to learn it good!"

Gohan looked stunned. He slowly lowered his eyes to his desk. _The heck was that?_ His senses stretched out to find Videl's ki. It was spiking consistently. Usually she could handle herself, but not always. Gohan found that out on more than one occasion. _She's in danger._ The chief said that there was a gunfight. Guns and humans do not mix!_ I've got to help! What do I do?_ His eyes hardened. _I've got to do something. To hell with how it looks!_

He stood from his seat in the row. "Mr. Exermerner, if I can prove to you that I fully understand what you are teaching, may I go?"

Mr. Exermerner (whyyy) turned to look doubtfully back at the teen. "Gohan, I appreciate the fact that you are one student actually doing well in my class, but I highly doubt that…"

"Sir." Gohan interrupted. "Please let me try."

"Gohan!" Sharpner's fierce whisper came from behind him. "Just hold it until class is over!" Gohan ignored him. "It's not worth it!"

The teacher's face turned to one of intrigue. "Alright then. I'll give you an equation. If you can solve it, I'll let you go to use the bathroom. If not, you will have to wait until the lesson is over and will have twice as much homework for the rest of the month." He turned to the board. "But make no mistake; I'm trying to get you to stay in my class."

"Thank you sir." He moved out from behind his seat and walked towards the front. He ignored the excited chatter of his classmates. No one challenges a teacher! Gohan held his head high and waited for the equation to be finished.

Mr. Exermerner (this gag is old now) turned to Gohan smugly. "There you are." He leaned back on the teacher's desk. "Have at it, Mr. Son." He rigged the problem, knowing that most students would try to solve the question mark. Even if they caught on, and they never did, it would take them a long time to figure out how to get the answer.

Intregal sec y dy from 0 - 1/6pi = |n sqrt 3 (?)^64  
>(Augh the formatting tore the pretty equation I had apart)<p>

Gohan looked at the equation for a moment._ You've got to be kidding me._ He took a piece of chalk and began writing on the board. _This is stupid._ He wrote out the equation in simplified form, completely ignoring the question mark in the problem. Step by step he solved it. Within a few minutes he had the answer.

n = 0.549306144334055

He looked back at the teacher. Mr. Exermerner was dumbfounded. This problem was meant to stump the boy. Not actually be solvable! What's more, he did it in _minutes_! Without a calculator! Who _was_ this kid?

A student somewhere in the class spoke up. "What's the question mark? Don't you have to solve that too?" Gohan shrugged. He used his sleeve to wipe out the question mark and replaced it with 'í'.

He turned back to the teacher. "May I go now?" The teacher nodded numbly and stared at the board. Gohan turned on his heel and strode quickly from the class. As soon as the door shut, he shot up the stairs and to the roof, launching out over the city. _I've got to hurry!_ He sensed out Videl's energy and sped towards her position.

He stopped short of where she was and landed in an abandoned alleyway. He reached over and hit the button on his watch. A sharp jolt of electricity jumped out of the watch face, shocking Gohan. The saiyaman clothes over his body flickered before returning to his school clothes.

_Frack! _Gohan slapped a hand to his forehead. _That lightning storm yesterday shorted out my disguise! How could I have forgotten?!_ He paced back and forth in the dark alley. _What do I do? If I go out there, Videl will recognize me! If I don't…_ Sounds of gunfire rang out across the street. _No! I've got to help her!_ He looked around frantically. _I could go super saiyan. No one recognized me last time. Well, except Videl. And that was only because of what I was wearing._

He looked down at his outfit. A baggy yellow T-shirt over a long white undershirt, carpenter's slacks, black belt, and dress shoes. He ripped off his shirt and undershirt, kicked off his shoes and removed his belt. He powered up to super saiyan and flew towards the scene. _This had better work._

* * *

><p>Videl entered the building from a side window, taking out two of the goons waiting there. She swung around the corner just as two more appeared. They panicked over their fallen comrades before shooting randomly all over the place. Bullets skimmed past the corner where Videl hid. <em>Man! These guys are the most trigger happy idiots I've ever seen! <em>When she arrived on the scene, bullets were flying everywhere. Cops shooting at the building, robbers shooting at the cops, it was a nightmare. Somehow, Videl managed to skirt the firefight and get inside.

She looked further down the hallway. _Those hostages have to be here somewhere_. Videl ran down the hallway. A set of double doors were at the end. She put her ear to the door. Crying, shouting, gunfire. _This is it!_ She glanced around, hoping that there was another way inside. Busting down the doors might seem really bad-ass, but scaring some gun happy lunatics was a dangerous gamble.

She spotted a vent above her head on the wall. She leapt up and with one punch, dented it enough so she could pull it away. The teen crime fighter hauled herself into the ventilation shaft and started in the direction of the room. A few feet later she came upon the vent that revealed the hostages. Videl waited until there was another barrage of gunfire and screams before she kicked the vent out.

Videl dropped to the floor behind the hostages and began untying them. "Shhhh." She said to the ones who weren't gagged. "I'm here to help." The raven haired girl looked at the men with guns around them. They obviously didn't care too much about the hostages. Instead they focused on what was going on in the front of the bank. _Idiots._

Soon everyone was freed. They looked to her expectantly. This was Videl Satan after all; she had to have some kind of plan.

"Chief," Videl whispered to her wrist com, "I have the hostages, get to the side door on the west end. We'll meet you there." She looked up at the hostages. They nodded to show they understood. "I'll need some cover fire."

"YOU GOT IT VIDEL!" The shrill noise of the wrist com rocked everyone back on their heels. The guards surrounding the hostages were not exempt. Some threw their hands over their ears in an attempt to block it out. Others, who didn't mind it so much, turned to find the source. Their surprise was evident when they recognized Videl.

"Hey! It's that cop chick! She's releasing our hostages!"

"Get her!"

_Crap._ Videl launched herself at the nearest guard. A swift punch across the jaw knocked him out on his feet. She waved to the hostages, shouting "Move! Move!" She laid another punch across a second thug, laying him out flat. His gun went off as he fell. Bullets ricocheted around the room, causing a few goons to throw themselves out of the way.

"Go! Head towards the doors at the end of the hall!" Seven of the hostages stampeded down the hall and into the waiting arms of the police. Three hostages were snagged by various thugs and thrown back in the room. "Dangit!" Videl charged the one guard, making him lose his grip on his gun. He turned back to Videl and let loose his own punch, which Videl dodged.

She danced back from the guy, her battle stance ready. "Bring it." Videl mocked, smirking. Her cocky smile vanished when she felt cold steel pushed into her back.

"Now now, let's not be too hasty to 'bring it', as they say." A tall, lean man came into view. "We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Right boys?" The thugs still conscious chuckled. "You are in the middle of a dangerous operation, little girl. You came in here and beat up my friends too." He tut-tutted softly. "Why don't we wake them up, so they can have a chat with you?"

Videl's eyes grew large as one of the men she knocked out coming in walked up to her. He casually pulled back and punched out at her. Videl tried to dodge, but the man behind her pushed her into the punch. It landed hard on her cheekbone. It wasn't enough to knock her out by any means, but it hurt.

She glared at the brute in front of her. He grinned back and spoke to the others around him. "How bout we have some fun wid miss Satan here?" Videl's face paled. "Make a 'xample a dose who try ta mess wid da Sharkfin gang!" He pulled out his gun and aimed it, point-blank, at her knee. "Foist, we's gonna blow a hole in her legs. Den, we's gonna blow off all her fingers."

The man behind her laughed. "Sounds fun." He held the gun at her back at a sharper angle. She glanced back and saw that he had another gun pointed at the 3 remaining hostages. "You try to fight back and we'll have to kill all of you."

Videl swallowed nervously. Things had gotten seriously scary far too quickly. _What do I do now?_ There was no way out, guns trained on her from every side. She squeezed her eyes shut._ I don't want to die!_ _Please… Somebody help me please!_

She heard a gunshot, a scream. Suddenly, the world blazed in golden light. The pressure behind her vanished. Videl cautiously opened her eyes. She let out an audible gasp.

Before her stood a tall, golden blond man. He was shirtless, wearing low slung carpenters slacks. His feet were bare. His eyes shone a brilliant blue beneath a stern glare. One lone lock of hair hung down over his face while the others stood up on end, waving gently in the strange wind filling the room. This man exuded power. His torso, revealed for the world to see, was perfectly sculpted. Not an ounce of fat. Tanned bronze skin glowed faintly golden. One powerful arm was raised. In his fist was the man about to blow Videl's knee to bits.

The Gold Fighter had returned.

Videl felt her eyes rove over his body. _HOLY HECK! Where… Who… _She watched as he incapacitated the armed men around her. This had to be the gold fighter. Videl had never seen him personally, but this guy matched the descriptions perfectly. Tall, golden hair, extremely powerful, gorgeous. The gold fighter picked up their weapons. A strange light burst from his fingertips, blowing the guns to smithereens. He turned to her just as she found her voice.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice shaking and uncertain. This was almost too much. He didn't say a word, but instead gestured to her body. She looked down. "I-I'm fine. Thanks." He turned and gestured to the remaining hostages. Videl nodded. "I'll take care of them." He smiled. _He… just smiled at me. Oh Kami…_

The gold fighter turned and headed to the front of the bank. Videl watched as all the gun happy robbers were taken out with ease and minimal amount of effort. He knocked out the last man and turned to Videl. He gestured to her, beckoning her with his eyes. The teen's heart fluttered in her chest as she went out to stand next to him. Good thing Videl wasn't so smitten with him that she didn't notice that the police had their guns trained on him.

"It's okay! The robbers are down!" She waved them over. "Take 'em away boys!" The cops cheered and rushed in to catch themselves some crooks. "Thank you, sir. You really saved me." She turned to the man. "But I have to ask wh-"

Videl looked around, startled. The gold fighter had vanished.

As reporters swarmed her in the aftermath, Videl couldn't remember answering any of their questions beyond the standard 'no comment'. Her mind was elsewhere. Namely on some tall golden stranger.

* * *

><p><em>That was the most embarrassing thing of my entire life.<em> Gohan was mortified. _I think my boxers were showing!_ Good thing he'd decided to wear the black ones instead of the ones with the little bears on them. _And Videl! She kept staring at me!_ The girl wouldn't take her eyes off him._ I guess I really am a freak._ He sighed and continued dressing himself. He'd gotten out of there as fast as he could so no one would see how red his face was turning.

_But you know,_ Gohan thought to himself, _she didn't recognize me._ He had decided not to speak as the gold fighter. It was harder to find him out that way. _For once I won't get any flak about being a superhero! AND I saved Videl and those hostages. Good thing I got there when I did. That guy was about to shoot her! _His face flamed up again as he thought about how Videl was looking at him. _I can't wait to get my outfit back though. Fighting crime half-naked is bad enough._ He hopped from rooftop to rooftop back to the school building. Luckily, Videl was too busy with mopping up the crime scene to try and follow him.

He glanced at a hall clock as he started back to physics class. _That took less time than I thought!_ Gohan felt better after expending some energy. He figured that physics would be a breeze now that he was calmer. The saiyan teen was about to open the door when he remembered what he did to get out of class.

_Frack._ He took a deep breath and opened the door. "Mr. Exermerner?" (Oh, it's still here)

The teacher looked up from his lesson book with a broad grin. "Gohan my boy!"

"S-sir?" Gohan's face gave away so much confusion that the teacher outright laughed at him. "Are… am I…"

"No no, you aren't in trouble Gohan!" Mr. Exermerner walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "After you left, everyone started asking questions. We've had a most interesting discussion while you were gone. Frankly I was very startled when you solved that equation. I was angry that you had gotten the best of me." He chuckled again. "But you bested me fair and square, so I am not going to send you to the principal for being rude in my class. However, this will not happen again, understood?" Gohan nodded as the teacher gestured to his seat. "You may take your seat Gohan."

Gohan went back to his seat in a daze. As he sat down, he let a smile cross his face. _That just happened._

Erasa elbowed him in the ribs. "I heard what happened from Sharpie!" She slept through the whole thing. "You were awesome!"

"R-really?"

"Hells yes!" Sharpner leaned over toward him. "For a little nerd boy, you got some balls!"

"Uh… Thanks?"

Erasa giggled at Gohan's stunned expression. "Wait till Videl hears about this!"

"She's never going to believe us." Sharpner shook his head. "It figures that she has to leave when things get interesting."

"Ahah, yeah." Gohan chuckled nervously, a hand rubbing his neck in a nervous habit.

They went back to focusing on the lesson which was much more interesting than before. It had become more like a physics discussion than a lecture. Afterwards the teacher gave Gohan far harder homework than the rest of the class. It was still pretty easy for Gohan, but it was a welcome change of pace for him. He actually had to use brain power for it! Mr. Exermerner (last one, I promise) swore to tell other teachers about Gohan's level and sure enough, he got a message in his locker from each of his teachers containing harder assignments to challenge him. After finding the harder assignments in his locker at the end of the day, he headed to Bulma's house with a light heart.

Not counting the robbery, this was the best school day so far.

* * *

><p>What happened up there with Videl?<br>Is drama a time? Is Videl capable of the dramallamas?

Bonus points if anyone recognizes that equation. It ain't a product of my own brain!  
>HINT: ERB<p>

Seriously, I wrote WAY too much and had to split it up into 2 chapters.  
>Tune in for PART TWOOOOOO. AKA next chappy.<p>

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You really encouraged me to keep writing. That's why this update is a 2 parter. Thank you so much! R&R for those who like dis!


	6. Death of a Saiyaman

Who likes fish fingers?  
>I do! But only sometimes.<p>

**DISCLAIMER**: *beep* I-own-nothing *beep* DBZ-is-not-mine *beep* AHAHAHAHA *beep*

Ch. 6: Death of a Saiyaman

* * *

><p>"What do you mean you can't fix it?!"<p>

Gohan had gone to Bulma's right after school. Gohan immediately accosted her about the watch. She took it to her lab and fiddled around with it a bit. When she returned, she told him that it was irreparable.

"I'm sorry Gohan, but there is no way I can fix it. The circuits are fried beyond saving." Bulma said. "Usually the outfit can reboot itself by reverting back into the watch, but the lightning bolt must've corrupted it."

"Aww man! The Great Saiyaman. Defeated by electricity." How lame was that? "Can't you whip up another outfit like that one?"

Bulma tilted her head in thought. "Well, I could rig another watch for you, but it wouldn't be the same thing. The electric signal for that outfit is lost for good. You have to come up with another suit."

"Another suit? That's great! Thank you so much Bulma! I'll start on ideas right aw-"

"DIBS!" Trunks shouted. "I call dibs!"

"You can't call dibs! It's _my_ outfit!" Gohan hollered back.

"Too bad! I called dibs first!" Trunks grinned. "Your last outfit was super dorky. I'm going to make you look awesome!"

"Dorky?! Why you little…"

"Suck it Gohan!" Trunks stuck out his tongue and ran off with mother in tow.

Bulma was laughing her head off as she was led away quickly by her son. "You are just like your father!" Trunks smirked proudly. "But that wasn't a very nice thing you did to Gohan back there."

"I'll apologize after he sees how great my outfit is!" They made it to the lab seconds ahead of Gohan. Trunks spun around and slammed the heavy steel doors into place. Locking it, he dashed over to the desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. He snagged a pencil and began scribbling madly, ignoring Gohan's protests from the other side of the door.

"Open up! Open up you little pest!" Gohan banged on the door, causing it to shake. "Hey! Bulma! Let me in! Come on, this isn't fair!"

"Oh Gohan, let's just see what his idea is!" Bulma hollered back. "And if you break my door down I'll tell Chichi that you've trained without her knowledge!"

The banging stopped. "… You wouldn't."

"Yeah, I would."

"… fine. But I reserve right to veto it!"

"Rights reserved for the inventor only!" Bulma smirked. "I don't have to make it at all you know!"

"… AUGH." A thump was heard as Gohan sat down on the floor. "I KNOW."

Bulma stuck her tongue out at the door. "Don't be such a whiner Gohan! I am not only a genius, but have impeccable fashion sense! So trust me!" She turned back to Trunks who was still drawing madly. She moved to peek over his shoulder. "How's it going?"

He moved to cover the drawing. "No peeking! I'm not done yet!"

"Aww please?" Bulma pouted.

"Be patient!" Trunks pushed her away gently. He knew he was strong for his age.

Bulma settled herself in the desk chair and watcher her son work. _That's my boy! Brains from his mother, tenaciousness from his father. _She smiled proudly. _Oh, Trunks! I love you so much!_

A few minutes, and a few grumbles from Gohan later, Trunks finished. He straightened from the desk and looked over at his mom. "It's done!" He said proudly. "Come and see!"

Bulma rose from her chair and walked over to him, an amused smile on her face. "Let's see what you did sweetie." She looked down at the drawing. The look on her face changed from astonishment, to pleasure, and finally settled on happy approval. "Nice job! I think it'll look good on him." She began giggling madly.

"Uh… Mom?" Trunks felt intimidated. Maniacal laughter didn't happen often. Well, from his mom at least. "You okay?"

Bulma swept her son up in a large bear hug. "Oh Trunks! This is a great idea!" She spun in circles happily. "I can't wait to get started!" Trunks laughed happily and leapt out of her arms.

"I'm glad you like it!" Using the camera attached to Bulma's computer, Trunks took a photo of his design. He then picked up the drawing and went to stand in front of the door, grinning evilly. "Hey Goooohaaaaan." He taunted the teen behind the door, "It's reaaaaadyyyy."

"Let me see it!" Gohan's angry voice called from behind the door.

"Sure thing!" He started to slide it under the door. "Whoops!" A bright flash of energy incinerated the helpless sheet of paper before it got to Gohan. "Ooooh! Sorry Gohan. It died all of a sudden."

"Wait! It what?! You did that on purpose!"

"Oh don't worry, we're going to make it anyway."

"You're WHAT?!" The door rattled under the force of Gohan's yell.

Trunks smirked harder. "You heard me, _saiyadork_. Honestly the only thing worse than your outfit was your poses."

"AAAAAAAGH!" The house began to shake, albeit gently.

Bulma placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Trunks, you better stop tormenting Gohan before he blows a hole in the wall."

The boy's smirk faded slightly. "Sorry mom." He cleared his throat. "Sorry Gohan." He said a little louder. "Your outfit is dorky, but you aren't."

The rumbling stilled. Trunks reached over and pushed the button to open the door. Gohan wouldn't be too mad… right?

The door slid open a few inches, but stopped. A hand had reached out and slid it open all the way. Vegeta stood at the threshold, arms folded. Trunks gulped as he took in his father's annoyed scowl.

"Boy, have you been pestering Kakkarot's son?"

"Uh… yes?"

Vegeta grunted and walked into the lab. Behind him, slumped against a scorched wall, was an unconscious Gohan. Bulma looked at the teen in shock. Her eyes went back to Vegeta. "What happened?"

"I told you that hormonal saiyans are not to be trifled with." He leaned against the desk. "You fools seem to think that it's okay to tease him. Make light of what he's going through." His dark eyes flashed with warning. "You flirt with danger."

"Is Gohan gonna be okay?" Trunks felt tears prick his eyes. He saw Gohan as a big brother. Not as close as Goten, but like a brother none-the-less.

Vegeta sighed heavily. "He'll be fine. The idiot didn't even notice when his ki was became unstable. I sensed it and came to find him. If I didn't knock him out…" The flame haired man looked up at his wife. "I do not care if it was in jest, be careful of how you joke with the boy during this time."

Bulma swallowed hard. "I'll be careful."

"Good." Vegeta allowed himself a small smile as he looked over at his son. "Though you really pissed him off. What did you say?"

Trunks looked down shamefully. "I… made fun of his superhero outfit."

Vegeta laughed openly. "About time! It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!" Bulma pouted. That was her idea you know. "Someone should've destroyed that eyesore ages ago!"

Trunks raised his head and smirked at his dad. "We're making him a better one. One that doesn't suck so bad." His smirk grew wider. "I was going to prank him by making it turn into a clown costume, but he already had one of those."

Vegeta laughed even more. "Let me see what you came up with." He said when he reigned in his laughter.

Trunks pulled up the image on his mom's computer. Vegeta raised his eyebrows in surprise at the image. "Not bad. It faintly resembles saiyan traditional wear."

Bulma was immediately interested. "Oh yeah? How so?"

Vegeta pointed out several spots in the uniform, explaining the purpose and making adjustments. Despite his enthusiasm, he was a bit gruff about it. The prince never expected to be working on clothing, but his mate and son were excited about it, so he figured why the hell not. Trunks and Bulma gave their own suggestions. The outfit was coming together nicely.

Poor Gohan was forgotten as the family worked together to make a true saiyan outfit.

* * *

><p>Gohan woke up with a splitting headache. <em>What happened?<em> He looked around blearily. _Oh… That's right… Bulma's house._ The teen pulled himself upright, holding his head tightly. _Man… What hit me?_

"Gohan?" Gohan turned to look at Trunks who had sat himself beside the couch where he lay. "Are you still angry?"

"Angry?" Gohan remembered his saiyaman suit. His temper flared briefly before realizing how stupid of a thing that was. "No Trunks. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lose it back there. That was so stupid of me."

"It's okay. I shouldn't have been such a jerk about your outfit. Even if it was true." The boy smiled. "Forgive me?"

Gohan returned the smile. "Yeah. I forgive you." He said as he ruffled the boy's hair. Trunks was like a second little brother. A cool, deviously smart little brother. He and Goten combined made for the worst pranks.

"Awesome!" Trunks leapt up and pulled Gohan off the couch. "Then you have to come see it!"

"See what?"

"Your suit! It's finished!"

Gohan looked startled as he was dragged down the hall. "Already?! How long was I out?!" _I'd better call mom! She'll kill me if I don't!_

Trunks looked over his shoulder. "Not very long. We worked really fast!"

"We?" They turned a corner. "Who's we?"

"Me, Mom and Dad!"

Gohan almost tripped. _Vegeta helped? Kami, I think I might have been better off fighting crime half-naked!_ He had no more time to think as Trunks burst into the lab, pulling Gohan along with him.

Bulma was waiting beside a small machine. "Hello boys! The watch is almost done." She gestured to the small machine that sounded a small beep. "Scratch that. It's finished!"

Gohan watched as the blue haired genius pulled out a small tray with a white watch similar to the one he had before resting on its smooth surface. He looked dubiously at the device. What horrors did it contain?

Bulma rolled her eyes. "C'mon. Just try it on! It's not like it's going to explode or anything. Besides, if you don't like it, you don't have to wear it." Still, Gohan hesitated.

"Just put the stupid thing on already." Vegeta was leaning against a wall, watching things with a bored expression.

Gohan glared at the watch before slipping it on his wrist. "Fine." He placed his finger over the button, took a deep breath, and pushed.

A tingly sensation covered him. It was the same feeling he had before whenever he'd change into saiyamode. The feeling subsided and Gohan felt a material coat his body. It was pliable and stretched as he moved. He looked down. On his feet were white boots tipped with blue and with black edging. His legs were hidden under a pair of deep blue pants resembling gi bottoms. A black, short sleeved spandex top hugged his torso tightly. His chest was protected under a chest plate that resembled saiyan armor. It was white with blue and black piping, but lacked the shoulder pads and lower protective plates. Over his heart, emblazoned in red, lay his family crest. He wore black wristbands and a dark blue armband around his left bicep. There was no cape, no helmet, and no sunglasses.

Gohan turned to find a mirror. Luckily, Bulma thought ahead and set one up against the nearby wall. Gohan looked at his reflection in amazement. _Is that really me?_ He looked strong, confident. Turning about, he found that it was a light outfit. Flexible and well made. On an urge, he powered up to super saiyan. His golden hair stood out in stark contrast to the outfit. The light from his energy making it seem as though he was on fire.

"Cooooool." Trunks whispered, awed. "Hey mom… can you make me a superhero outfit too?"

Gohan turned around, amazed. "This was your idea, Trunks?"

"Sorta. I mean, Dad added the armor and armband. I made up the rest. Mom said you'd look better in blue." He frowned. "Do you like it?"

Gohan shook his head and powered down. He didn't know how to react. "I… I just… Wow."

Bulma chuckled. "You made him speechless! Way to go Trunks!" The boy blushed happily.

"Incredible." Vegeta murmured, unable to tear his eyes away from the teenager. "You look like a real saiyan for once in your life. This uniform is akin to what our young warriors wore in preparation for tournaments."

"Really?" Gohan's eyes widened.

"Yes." He smirked. "Your last outfit caused you to look like the weakling you were. This makes you look like the man you will be."

If it was possible at this point, Gohan's eyes grew wider. _Did Vegeta just compliment me?_ His mind reeled. _Holy Kami, he DID. Vegeta just paid me a compliment!_ He looked in amazement to Bulma. "Is Vegeta drunk right now?"

Bulma laughed loudly as Vegeta's face turned beet red. "Nope! I think he's just being a bit sentimental."

"The prince of all saiyans does not feel sentiment!" Vegeta spat hurriedly, trying to lower the temperature in his face. "I have no need for such a weakness! Sentiment… PAH!"

"Yeah sure." Bulma snickered. "You just can't admit how much of a softie you're becoming."

"Shut it woman!" Vegeta stormed out of the room, arms rigid at his side. "I am not going soft! I will destroy this puny world and smash all that you love into oblivion! I will dance upon your corpses and bathe in your worthless blood! I will laugh at your pathetic attempts to…" His raving grew distant as he stormed back to the gravity chamber.

Gohan grinned at Bulma and Trunks. "I love it! But I have no way to hide my identity."

Trunks groaned. Bulma nodded her understanding. "I get what you're saying, but this is too good to ruin with a face mask. We discussed it earlier and both Vegeta and Trunks thought it looked stupid. Besides, you appeared as the gold fighter already, right? Ditch the disguise and just go super!"

"I dunno… I get the feeling that I'll get caught too easily."

"Well, you could just reveal that saiyaman is the gold fighter. This way, you won't have to worry about people seeing your face anymore."

"Huh." Gohan thought about it a while. "Well, maybe that could work. But could I at least get something to hide my face until I make up my mind?"

"Sure. I'll see if we can't get a helmet for you or something." Bulma walked over to a closet in the back of the lab and rummaged in the mad chaos of half-finished/abandoned inventions. This was her laboratory after all. After a few minutes of things flying out from the depths of the lab, (Gohan and Trunks had to dodge a flying toaster) Bulma returned. She held out a black biker helmet. "This is the best I could find in short notice. I got it a while back when I decided to get a jetcycle. I modified it to pick up radio signals so I could listen to music while I drove. Never used it though, it's a little big for me." Trunks made a face. Obviously he didn't like the idea of another addition to his masterpiece.

Gohan pulled the helmet on. His voice was muffled from the enclosed space. "It feels a little claustrophobic in here, but it's not too bad." He flipped the visor closed. The visor itself was a like a one-way mirror. You could see out, but couldn't see in. "What do you think Trunks?"

Trunks studied him a moment. "It's alright I guess." He shrugged. "Anything is better than the last one."

The spiffy looking teen smiled and flipped the visor down. "Alright!" He struck a few poses. "The Great Saiyaman returns!"

"Gohan…"

"Yes Bulma?"

"Don't do that again."

"What do you…"

"You look ridiculous, even with the wardrobe change! Promise me that you'll quit those poses."

Gohan was startled. "I thought the poses were cool." He looked at Trunks. "Aren't they?"

"They suck." Trunks deadpanned.

* * *

><p>Videl was up late again. She finally made it back to the Satan mansion after reporters had kept her from returning to school. Her father was the one who rescued her from reporters. Hercule claimed that she needed rest after that whole debacle. For once she agreed with him and let him take the spotlight. There weren't many occasions where her life almost ended. Some time to recuperate was in order.<p>

The teen crime fighter sat on her bed. _Fighting crime can really take it out of you._ She considered all that happened. _I really almost died today. I need to train harder I guess._ Videl sighed into her pillow. Eventually her thoughts drifted back to him.

Him. The gold fighter. The man who saved her life. The perfect, gorgeous, manly… Videl smacked herself gently. _Why am I suddenly so ga-ga over some guy? Yeah he saved my life, but I know next to nothing about him! Besides, I still have to worry about Saiya-jerk._ She paused. _Where was he today anyway? Figures that bozo is a no-show when we could've actually used his help._

She got up to change into her pajamas. It had gotten late quickly. _It's strange though… This is the first time I've seen the gold fighter in person. How come, with his immense strength, he never shows himself? Why did he choose to show up today?_ Questions filled her head. _Could he and saiyaman be the same person? I mean.. I've never seen under saiyaman's helmet, so it's plausible. Then again…_

A light filled the dark room as Videl opened her laptop and searched for the gold fighter. Not much came up, but that was to be expected. Camera's caught images of him today, but that was because of her really. His blue eyes were so piercing…

She shook herself and did a search for saiyaman. She compared the two. One serious, one goofy. _Nope. Not the same person at all. Unless saiyaman has some weird split personality disorder._ Videl studied the picture further. _The gold fighter looks like someone I've seen before…_ Quickly tapping on the keyboard, she brought up her files of the Cell games. _I knew it! He looks like the blond guys who fought Cell! _Her head tilted toward the photos on the screen. _This picture was taken 7 years ago. So he'd be really young in this picture. He looked like he was about my age, so he must've been the little boy! Dad said they used light tricks and stuff. The gold fighter used some sort of light at the bank today. Those guns were blown away!_ Videl frowned at the screen._ He was at the cell games! But, who is he?! _

She shut her laptop angrily. More questions and even fewer answers. She was further than ever from finding out the real identity of the superhero.

Videl crawled back into her bed, annoyed. Her interactions with Gohan hadn't turned up anything new either. _I know he's hiding something, but I am beginning to doubt that he could be anything more than just another high schooler._ She smiled. _He's a nice guy though. We might even be friends eventually. Even if he is a giant nerd._

Falling asleep, Videl dreamed of golden clouds rolling across a bright blue sky. Warm breezes caressed her and she felt safe from everything. Strong arms encircled her from behind. She watched dandelions float by serenely, laying back into a firm chest on the side of a lush amber hill. Videl turned to look behind her, but couldn't see a face. Just a kind smile that caused her heart to flutter.

The raven haired teen slept well that night.

* * *

><p>"Videl! You won't believe what happened yesterday!"<p>

Videl looked over at Erasa distractedly. "What happened yesterday?"

"Well, Gohan challenged our physics teacher and won!" Erasa grinned. "He was so cool! Wasn't scared at all! He walked right up there and solved that equation like a boss!"

"I don't believe you."

Sharpner chuckled at Erasa. "Told you so." He leaned closer to Videl, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "But it really did happen. That little wimp of a guy stood up to a teacher." He winced and pulled his arm away after receiving a painful twist to the wrist. "I knew the guy was smart, but he owned in physics class."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Of course he did Sharpner. He's practically a genius." Sarcasm dripped from her voice. Videl's eyes lost their focus as she stared off into the distance. Yesterday's news replaying in her mind. She had been thinking about it since waking up this morning. She even ignored Erasa when she brought it up on their way to school. _The gold fighter… boy at the Cell games… who is he?_ She didn't even notice when Gohan entered the classroom and took his seat.

"Good morning!" Gohan called happily. He'd had a good night too. Goten thought the outfit was super cool. Not as cool as his old one, but cool nonetheless. Goten woke him up, they did some light training, and he got ready for school. His energy level was within the bounds of being 'normal' and he felt pretty good with the world.

"Good morning Gohan." Erasa said. "Did you catch the news yesterday?"

"I didn't get to. Why? Did something happen?"

Erasa's eyes filled with stars. "Why the coolest, hottest, strongest, most gorgeous babe showed up in the city again yesterday!"

"R-really?" Gohan was confused. He obviously didn't follow the news. "What movie star was it?"

"Oh it wasn't a movie star!" Erasa sighed wistfully.

"It was the gold fighter." Sharpner said. "He showed up at a robbery yesterday. Videl was there too, right Videl?"

Videl came back to earth at the mention of the gold fighter. She nodded. "Yeah. I was there."

Gohan stiffened. _Ooooh no._

Erasa squealed. "Ohmygosh Videl! I forgot that you were there! What was he like?! Details, details!"

_No. Nonononononono._

"I don't know. He didn't say anything." Erasa made little spinning motions with her hands. "He was tall, golden blond..." Videl rested her chin on her hand. "Had these blue eyes that could see right through you… Powerful arms… Chiseled chest… Kind… Strong…"

_Nonono, wait… What did she say?_

"So dreamy huh? Oh girl… you got it bad!"

_Wh-what!?_

Videl was shaken from her reverie. "Say what?"

"You have a crush on the gold fighter!" Erasa giggled. "It's so obvious!"

_WHAT?!_

Videl blushed lightly. "No I don't! You are the one who was raving about how gorgeous the guy was!"

"Yeah, but that's because he is! Being attracted to the hottest guy on the planet isn't something to be ashamed of!"

"Ladies, please. I am _way_ more attractive than some random street thug." Sharpner flexed his biceps.

"Shut it Sharpner!" Videl hollered.

"Yeah! The gold fighter is way hotter than you!"

Sharpner lowered his arms with a pout. "I could take him."

"Yeah right. Hey Angela!" Erasa called down to another student. "You catch the news?"

"Yeah!" A red head hollered back.

"Hotness level?"

"It's over nine thousaaaaaaaaaand!" (I just went there)

She turned to Sharpner. "See? He outranks you in dateability!"

The conversation turned to who could take who in a fight. No one really noticed how red Gohan had turned. As the conversation had progressed, Gohan had turned varying shades of crimson until his whole face, neck and ears were redder than a fire truck.

_She… likes me? I'm… hot? What does that even mean?! _Gohan wished he could sink into the floor and die. _Videl likes me. Oh Kami… she likes me. Videl, the girl who is trying to tear apart my life, likes me. Oh Kami oh Kami oh Kami. _He looked over at Videl. The girl was arguing with Erasa about how she didn't like the gold fighter like that.

"I mean, I barely know the guy!" She claimed.

"Yeah, but he saved your life! That musta had an impact on you somehow!"

"It did! I'm alive aren't I?"

"So you admit that he was good-looking?"

"Fine! Yes! He was good-looking! Happy now?!" If it was possible to set your own head on fire by blushing, Gohan would be stop, drop, and rolling right now. "Sure he's a nice enough guy! Doesn't mean I like him! I know next to nothing about him! If anything I am curious about who he is!"

"Alright already! Geez!" Erasa huffed. "It's not like you're gonna die from liking a guy for once in your life."

_I'm good-looking? Since when?_ Gohan looked down at his clothing. _Videl likes the way I look? I mean… I wear this stuff every day!_ Then it hit him. She was talking about the gold fighter, not Son Gohan the student! He let out a breath of relief. _That's right! She doesn't know it was me. Good thing I wear these baggy clothes. No one can see how I really look. If she ever saw me in my training gear, she'd figure out that it was me in a heartbeat! I mean… _

_Gosh… Videl thought I was a nice._ A warm feeling spread in his chest. _She's not so bad after all._

"You don't talk to guys much. Besides Sharpner and Gohan anyway. Oh, and Saiyaman."

"Feh." Videl scoffed. "That jerk doesn't count."

Gohan visibly flinched. _Ouch._

She continued. "That bum didn't show up when we could've used his help yesterday. He's no superhero. He's just a freak of nature who can do stupid poses and spout pithy sayings about justice."

_I take it back. _Gohan lowered his head to the desk. _Videl is still mean._ He sighed heavily. _Why me? Why can't she find out about another superhero? Why does she have to try and find out _my_ secrets? Maaaan…_

"Aww cut him some slack Videl. He might've been off saving someone else or whatever."

"Hmm… Gohan, what do you think?"

"I… uh.." Videl caught Gohan off guard. _Think of something quick, genius!_ "Yeah, he was probably out saving someone or something."

"I don't know," Videl baited him, "that weakling superhero couldn't save much."

Gohan felt his temper spike. _She didn't really mean that. Deep breaths Gohan… _

"Yeah." Sharpner pitched in. "He could never be as strong as Mr. Satan."

Gohan felt his ki rise. _That… arrogant man…_ He tried to calm himself uselessly. Smiling weakly, he said, "Oh I don't know about that."

"Of course you wouldn't. He's the man who saved the planet. Plus, you don't seem liked the kind of guy who likes fighting." Videl stated.

"Ahah… yeah." _Why does that bother me? It shouldn't bother me… right?_

Videl looked at Gohan. He was acting strangely. He couldn't be angry… could he? Videl had never seen him angry. The idea intrigued her. She decided to press the envelope a bit further. "You're too much of a coward. Right?"

Gohan's eyes narrowed. "I am not a coward." His ki flared higher, distorting the air around him faintly. _If you think that some idiot weakling could defeat Cell, call those who gave their lives to save his and yours liars and tricksters, and then call _me_ a coward…_ He gripped the underside of the desk, not noticing how easily the metal warped under his fingers. _Who are _you_ to accuse me thus?! Who the hell do you think you are?! _

"Videl! That wasn't very nice!" Erasa admonished. "Besides, Gohan isn't a coward. You were gone when he stood up to that teacher yesterday. That took guts you know!" Videl's ire turned to Erasa. Gohan, for the moment, was ignored.

"Yeah. As much as I hate to say it, he's not as weak as you think he is Videl." Sharpner frowned.

Meanwhile, Gohan had stopped thinking. His anger was almost to the point that any slight movement might set him off.

_GOHAN! _A voice broke into Gohan's head. _Stop it Gohan! Breathe!_

_M-Mister Piccolo? _His rage cooled at his mentor's rough command.

_Remember your meditation, kid! Your ki is too unstable right now! You need to calm down! Just focus on breathing._ Piccolo stood on the roof of the school, channeling calming thoughts to the teen. _Turn your gaze to the teacher and focus on my words._

Gohan, still obviously angry, turned from Videl to look at the teacher. He relaxed slightly at Piccolo's voice. _Clear your mind, Gohan. Center your ki. _The enraged teen was so focused on his mentor's words that he almost missed what Videl said next.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Videl said. She turned to Gohan. "Sorry Gohan. I shouldn't have said those things."

_She's lying. _Gohan's senses screamed at him. _Lying through her teeth._ He clenched his jaw and nodded at Videl.

_Gohan! Keep your cool. Focus on your center and draw your power back into your body._

Gohan took several deep breaths and followed Piccolo's advice. His mentor kept sending soothing vibes to him. Telling him that school would be over before he knew it. Gohan in return, sent copious amounts of gratitude to the namekian warrior.

_If you are really thankful, then calm yourself down!_

Gohan finally got himself under control as the bell rang for lunch. A hand stopped him from getting up. His temper flared briefly at the contact.

"Gohan, I really am sorry. It was wrong of me to say stuff like that." Videl's eyes were downcast. "I… was being presumptuous and stupid and angry. Things have been weird the past couple days."

Shockingly, Gohan's frown softened. "Yeah, it's been strange for me too. No worries Videl." _If only you knew how strange._

Videl looked as if she was about to say something else when Erasa interrupted her. "Hey! You need to make it up to him if you are really that sorry about it. Why don't you invite Gohan to go to the mall with us?"

Videl and Sharpner groaned aloud. "What?" Gohan looked at them, perplexed.

"Shopping with Erasa is the worst thing you could possibly do after school." Videl complained. Sharpner nodded in agreement.

"You guys are just no fun!" Erasa pouted. "The mall has a game center where you can compete your stupid little brains out!" She grabbed onto Gohan's arm possessively. "Gohan and I will go shopping together! Right Gohan?"

"I… uhh…" _Help me out here Piccolo!_

_No way kid. _Piccolo's chuckles echoed across the link. _You're on your own here. I'll talk to you later._ And with that, Piccolo cut the call. His job here was done.

"Well? Wanna go out with us?" Erasa prompted.

"I… I can't today." Gohan managed to get out. "I promised mom that I'd get home to help her with.. uh.. shopping today." The hurt look on Erasa's face made him cringe. "B-but I can ask if I can go tomorrow… if that's alright." He looked over at Sharpner and Videl.

Sharpner shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."

"Whatever." Videl crossed her arms over her chest.

Erasa squealed and released his arm. "I just can't wait!"

"Aheh. Yeah." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Can't wait…"

_CRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAPCRAP._ _What am I going to do about this?_

* * *

><p>Videl was on her way home after another boring day at school. Gohan hadn't actually gotten riled up when she taunted him. He looked like he was pretty angry though. Maybe looks were deceiving.<p>

_Well, I did kinda act like a jerk back there._ Videl sighed. _At least he was kind enough to forgive me about it._ They patched up things over lunch and had sat through the rest of the day like usual. In silence. This was actually one of the days she'd talked to Gohan more than usual. Though it was going to become more commonplace come tomorrow.

The raven haired teen mulled over her thoughts awhile before being interrupted by a shrill beeping. She pulled up her wrist communicator. "What is it chief?"

"Videl! We've had a prison break in the downtown area!"

"A prison break?!"

"The criminals that were apprehended yesterday overwhelmed the guards! They have taken over the police holding cell on South Livingston Street!"

"Are they armed?" Videl pulled out her jetcopter and decapsulized it.

"Yes, but only with small-caliber handguns. They have a number of policemen held hostage!"

"I'm on my way!" Videl jumped into her copter and headed full speed downtown.

She arrived on the scene just as gunfire rang out. The cop cars looked a little out of place surrounding the police station, but it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

Videl jogged up to the chief of police.

"Videl! Good to see you!" The chief waved toward the station. "They're holed up good and tight in there, Videl. We can't seem to flush them out."

"Is there another way inside?"

"Nope. This is a police station Videl! All other entrances are sealed from the inside."

"Drat!" Videl scowled. _What can we do now?_ "Can we cut off the power supply to the building?"

"Well, we should be able to.."

"FEAR NOT CITIZENS!"

Videl facepalmed. "Oh nooo." _Why does he decide to show up NOW?_

"Saiyaman! You came at the perfect time!" The chief seemed was rather pleased as he looked up. "We have a situa-" His sentence stopped abruptly as he took in Saiyaman.

Videl felt puzzled. "Chief what's wro-" Her eyes grew huge. "Sai… Saiyaman?!"

A man, in a dark blue and black outfit with white armor (I am not describing it again), floated above them. A black helmet covered his face. "The ONE and ONLY!" Videl could hear the grin in that ridiculous muffled voice.

She watched as he shot into the building, dodging bullets and knocking out baddies. Soon all the criminals were back in their cells, locked in firmly by a twisted piece of metal courtesy of Saiyaman.

He walked back out to the cops. He flashed a thumbs up as they all cheered wildly. Soon, all the cops had rushed inside to "take care of business" as it were.

"Thanks Saiyaman!" The chief called as he dashed inside.

"No problem!" Saiyaman started to pose. His arms lifted above his head. "For I am…"

Videl facepalmed again. _Yep. That's Saiya-dork alright._

Imagine her surprise when he stopped.

"Oh." He said, arms lowered. "I suppose that is kind of dorky, huh?"

Videl smiled to herself. "Since when did you start thinking that it was dorky?"

"Well a friend of mine said that it was." He rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed way.

"And who, pray tell, was this friend of yours?"

"Oh, uh… n-no one in particular."

"Huh. Tell them I said thanks. Those poses were really annoying."

"Hey!" Saiyaman folded his arms. "I worked hard on those!"

"Didn't make them any less annoying." Videl grinned. Too easy. She could practically feel the pout from underneath the helmet. "But you know, this new outfit looks good on you."

"…" Saiyaman seemed shell-shocked, but it was hard to tell with the helmet on.

_This is my chance! _"Why Saiyaman! Aren't you hot underneath that helmet?" Videl strolled up closer to him. "Here, let me help you take it off so you can get some air!"

"No! Er… I mean… that won't be necessary!" He flailed about briefly trying to keep distant from the girl. Videl kept on him, mirroring his moves as he tried to get away. As they moved, she couldn't help but notice and admire his bare arms and well accented chest.

_Wait, what was that? This is SAIYA-JERK we're talking about! Not the gold fighter or anyone!_ Her thoughts almost ruined her good mood. While Videl was distracted, Saiyaman did a double back flip and finally evaded her. _I'm going to have to come up with a better tactic._ She smirked to herself as she backed off, throwing in one last little jibe.

"Well, for as good as you look, the gold fighter is way better looking than you."

Saiyaman flinched. Videl raised her eyebrows at the motion. "Wait… don't tell me that you and the gold fighter are…"

"WAIT! Is that a CITIZEN IN DISTRESS I hear?! I must be off!" Saiyaman waved at her before floating up and away. "Goodbye young lady!"

"Hey wait!" He didn't wait. "Dang it Saiyaman!" Videl shook her fist at the retreating form of the superhero. _How lame! __That guy is up to something… _However, her annoyance at Saiyaman didn't last long. The teen crime fighter didn't even jump in her copter to follow him. Videl marveled at the difference the costume change made. _He seems… more like a superhero now. _She grinned to herself. _And he acted all jumpy when I mentioned the gold fighter. I bet he knows something about him. Could it be that they are the same person? _Videl scowled at the sky.

"I'll find you out, whoever you are." She said. "Just wait and see."

* * *

><p>OH MY.<br>That was intense. I am never writing that much in one sitting ever again.  
>Seriously, the editing takes FOREVER.<p>

A new Saiyaman?! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  
>Cuz you know… saiyan changes better reflect in the outfit right? That's why the chapter title is death of 'A' saiyaman. Not 'THE' saiyaman. GRAMMAR IS WIN.<p>

I also wanted to put in a much more hardcore Gohan-freaks-the-freak-out scene, but decided to save it for later when things REALLY start to get out of hand. Aaaaaaaand because I remembered that I wanted this to be more humorous and less… angsty/hormonal/angryangrystoof.

Thanks for reading! R&R please for the continuation. I ACCEPT QUESTIONS.


	7. Conversations and Arcades

Talk nerdy to me.  
>*plays saxophone loudly in a catchy tune*<p>

**DISCLAIMER**: III-III-IIIIII'm… hooked on a feeling. I know I'm believein', that I don't own Dragonball Zeeeeeeeeeeee! -ooooooooh-

Ch. 7: Malls and Arcades

* * *

><p>Gohan landed near a small waterfall in the woods outside his home. "Mr. Piccolo!" His muffled voice was jubilant.<p>

The namekian looked up from his meditation. "Gohan." His eye ridges rose as he took in Gohan's new and improved saiyasuit. "Nice clothes."

"Oh! Do you like it?" Gohan pulled off his helmet, revealing dark eyes and a dazzling smile. "My last one got fried by a lightning bolt."

Piccolo grinned. "Bout time it died."

"Hey!"

"Gohan, I didn't lie to you when I said you looked absolutely ridiculous."

Gohan pouted at his mentor. "Aww c'mon!"

"At least this new costume makes you look somewhat tougher."

The pout dissolved to a smile as the second statement registered in his mind. "Thanks Mr. Piccolo!"

Piccolo 'hmmphed' and resumed meditating.

"…"

"…"

After a few minutes of listening to Gohan fidget, Piccolo sighed in irritation. "Was there something you need kid?"

"Oh… ah..." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah. How did you know that I was losing it in school today?"

Piccolo cracked an eye open. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, no offense, but you don't usually visit the city."

The tall green alien unfolded from his floating lotus position. "I have kept an eye on your energy since two days ago. I only stepped in when it rose in an uncontrolled way." His stern gaze softened a bit as he looked at Gohan. "I figured you were fine on that run yesterday, so I didn't interfere."

Gohan's face took on a shade of pink. "Oh… you saw that?"

"Took quite a nasty fall there."

"Sh-shut it." The comment floated between them without malice.

Piccolo chuckled again. "Don't worry kid, I won't tell."

Gohan let out a sigh of relief. He looked up at Piccolo. "Hey, would you spar with me?" The teen clenched his fists gently. "I still feel… unsettled."

"Unsettled huh?"

Gohan winced at his own choice of words. "Okay, more like… I don't know." He ran a hand through his hair. "I've never felt quite like this before. I was just so angry earlier… It was all I could do to keep from bursting." He looked up gratefully at Piccolo. "Thanks to you, I was able to get through the day."

"No sweat kid." Piccolo looked down at his former student. "Though you really need to keep a better grip on those emotions. What did they say that had you so riled up?"

"She called me a coward. They called my father… all our friends… fakes. Tricksters. Liars." Gohan's eyes narrowed into a scowl. "They claim that Hercule Satan…"

"I know kid." Piccolo interrupted. "But you've told me before that you didn't mind it."

"I don't! I mean I didn't!"

"So…"

"I don't know!" He threw his hands up. "It was like they thought we were weak! That our sacrifices meant nothing! How could I not get angry?!"

"You know that's not what they meant."

"I KNOW!" Gohan shouted. His ki spiked dangerously. "I know! But it's how I felt! I understand that I jumped to conclusions! BUT IT HAPPENED!"

"Gohan. Calm down."

The teen saiyan took a deep breath. "Sorry… It's just… I feel like I'm… _burning_ for a fight. I need…" He searched for the words uselessly.

"To prove that they're wrong."

Gohan froze. A dark gaze burned into Piccolo's eyes. He spoke one word in response.

"Yes."

The namekian smiled down at him. He set a hand on his head and ruffled the black spikes in a surprisingly comforting gesture. "You've no need to prove yourself to those idiots." He said, "If they wrote you off as a weakling so quickly, they are not worth your time and effort." Gohan looked up at him. "Remember Gohan, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." (Eleanor Roosevelt)

Gohan hands clenched into tighter fists. "But, what if they're right? What if I really am weak? What if…"

"Gohan, if there is one thing you are not, it is weak."

"But…"

"Listen to me." Piccolo leaned over to look him in the eye, much like he did when Gohan was training under him as a young boy. "Vegeta said that you were trying to prove yourself during this time. To whom are you trying to prove?"

"I…"

"Just think about it." Piccolo straightened. "Everyone I know is proud of you Gohan. Proud of the man you are becoming. You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Gohan stood thunderstruck. He'd never really thought about it before. Gohan's brow furrowed as he pondered it. _To whom am I trying to prove myself? Not my family… not my friends… _

"It's me." His face cleared. "I'm the one trying to find out who I am."

Piccolo nodded. "So don't worry about proving yourself to anyone else. They will come to see you as you find out who it is you are."

Gohan smiled. His ki still fluctuated erratically. "That's right. I'm going through this in order to find my limits right?" He unclenched his fists and looked down at his palms. "I want to know what it means to be strong. The meaning behind the strength I have. These feelings… I know it'll be tough, but I have to know."

"Never forget that."

Gohan darted towards Piccolo suddenly, arms wide. Piccolo nimbly dodged the impending hug and sent Gohan sprawling behind him.

"Nope."

"Augh!" Gohan spat out a mouthful of dirt. "First you diss my outfit and then you reject a hug! Here I thought we were having a moment!"

"Moment my ass! I was just telling you so you could get over yourself!" Piccolo yelled, blushing slightly. Good thing no one was around to see his sensitivity to Gohan. That kid was the only one to elicit it from Piccolo. Not that anyone else would ever know.

Gohan picked himself up and dusted off his costume, smiling. "Thanks anyway though, Piccolo. That meant a lot." It really did.

"Humph."

"I still feel kind of pent-up though." Gohan rolled his shoulders. "Telling you about that helped me out, but I still feel like beating something."

"Sounds like you're looking for a challenge."

Gohan's eyes flashed at the implied words. "I suppose I am. So how about it?"

"Alright kid. I'll take you on." Piccolo smirked maliciously. "But don't come crying to me when you lose."

"Don't worry." Gohan returned the evil smile. "I won't."

* * *

><p>The sun set slowly in the sky, setting the planet's atmosphere ablaze in color. The current guardian of earth, Dende, was relaxing peacefully on the lookout. Surveying the world. Watching the people go about their daily lives.<p>

"Oh." Dende commented to himself. "Looks like there's a sandstorm in the desert. I'd better make sure that…" He trailed off, muttering about this and that. He turned to look to the other side of the lookout. "Welcome back Piccolo! How was Gohan?" He called out. He strolled over to the edge of the lookout.

"Piccolo!" He gasped. "What happened!?"

Piccolo drifted slowly upwards. His clothing, burnt and torn in numerous places, hung off his frame. One of his arms was missing and the stump was bleeding heavily.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned at Dende. "Gohan is doing well."

"No kidding! Gohan did this to you?" Dende helped him lower to the ground.

"Yeah." Dende laid his hands over Piccolo. He began healing him as the tall namekian spoke. "I challenged him to a fight."

"But that's crazy! You can't stand up to a super saiyan!"

"I know, but I can hold my own just fine against his normal form." Piccolo winced as his injuries healed. "Luckily we set rules in place so that he'd feel more challenged. No powering up. Just technique against technique."

Dende frowned. "And you lost."

"It was a difficult fight." Piccolo grinned. "I knew he was strong, but hell! That kid fought well even with normal energy levels!"

"I'm sure those hormones didn't help at all." Dende sighed as he finished healing his friend. "What was he trying to do, kill you? You said he'd be very volatile during this time. Moreso than even Vegeta!"

"No. The challenge was to incapacitate. Defeat. Not kill." Piccolo let out a shout. A new arm shot out of his shoulder to replace the old one. "I had no idea he had worked himself so hard on his own."

"You know, this doesn't exactly fill me with reassurance about Gohan's control. What if he snaps? What if you can't get him under control like those saiyans that Vegeta told you about?"

"For a guardian of earth, you worry far too much." Piccolo chuckled. "You've nothing to be anxious about. He's stronger than many people realize."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Dende smiled, thinking of his friend. "Gohan is really something else."

* * *

><p>"Gohan, you're really something else." Videl sipped on her food court soda bemusedly. "Most people would've died by now."<p>

Gohan slumped at one of the tables in the food court. "Somebody please… no more." Not from exhaustion mind, but from the sheer stress of Erasa's shopping spree.

"We warned you." Videl shook her head. They had finally gotten together to go out to the mall. She and Sharpner watched Gohan get dragged from store to store with Erasa. He, trying to be the gentleman, had opted to carry all of her purchases. It wasn't a hard job, but he also had to sit with her and give a running commentary on her wardrobe. Gohan was then forced to try several items on, none of which fit properly. They all seemed too big and baggy for the guy. They lost sight of the two for a while after that and finally met up again in the food court. Gohan seemed very… unsettled.

"Jeez Brains, don't be such a wimp." Sharpner sent a dig at the boy. "It's not really that bad."

Gohan was almost at his limit of restlessness. There were a few times during the spree where he pondered briefly about blowing up the mall. Yeah it would be bad, but he wouldn't have to suffer the tedium any longer. Even school was slightly better than shopping with Erasa.

He sent a sullen glare at Sharpner. "You want to trade, tough guy?"

"Heck no!" Sharpner waved him off. "I ain't that stupid!"

Videl didn't have the heart to laugh at the boys. She'd been shopping with Erasa too. Nightmares. Pink frilly nightmares.

Erasa, who was also sitting at the table, pouted. "You guys are such jerks! Right Videl?"

Videl frowned. "Don't rope me into this."

"It's not that bad!" Erasa pouted even harder, sticking her nose in the air. "We didn't even hit half the stores in the mall!"

The other three teenagers let out a collective groan. "UGH can we just go to the arcade already?" Sharpner complained, "I've about had my fill of clothes shopping today."

"FINE! Yeesh." Erasa stood up and stalked off to another section of the mall. "Since you're _dying_ to play some stupid game instead of spending time with your friends."

"Aww Erasa, don't be like that!" Sharpner stumbled after her, trying to smooth her ruffled feathers. "Just look at it this way…" Their conversation grew soft as they walked further away.

Gohan and Videl silently got up to follow the blondes. Neither wanted to admit the relief they felt. Shopping was something neither of them enjoyed much. They walked beside each other awkwardly for a while. Things were still a little tense between the two. Not quite friends, but the atmosphere wasn't as bad as it had been in the past though.

"And you say that you've never been to a mall before?" Videl asked Gohan as they walked.

"No, not really." Gohan rested his head on the table. Good thing it was a Saturday. The teens had the freedom to do whatever. Which meant shopping with the diva/devil incarnate, Erasa. "Though I can't really see the appeal."

"It's not a bad place. Erasa just gets a little… overambitious coming here."

"No kidding." Gohan grinned. "She's like my little brother at an all you can eat buffet."

"Man, I'd hate to see meals at your house. If your brother eats anything like you do."

They had reached a comfortable silence upon finding the arcade. The dark entrance loomed before them. There were lights flashing within and music pounding from several different game consoles. The air smelled a little musty, but not altogether unpleasant. Kind of like a static, sugary, dusty smell.

"C'mon guys! Let's play!" Erasa called happily from inside.

Gohan looked around nervously. A few people were already inside. No one he recognized, thank Kami. He walked over to one particular shooting game and picked up the gun attachment. He sensed Videl come up behind him and spoke over his shoulder.

"What's this game?"

Videl hid her surprise at being noticed so quickly and said, "It's a shooting game. You have to hit clay pigeons out of the air to get points." She pulled out some quarters and popped them in the machine. Grabbing the second gun, she said, "Here, I'll show you."

"Thanks. You know, I've never been in an arcade before."

"Really?" Her eyebrows rose to new heights. "You really need to get out more Gohan."

"Yeah… Tell me about it." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck in that nervous habit of his.

Videl looked down the scope of her gun and shot out a few of the clay pigeons. Videl had confidence in her skills, but she didn't want to show up the new guy. Soon her turn was over and she gestured to Gohan. "Your go."

He missed the first pigeon. It was kinda hard to shoot this gun. He wasn't really used to it. _What if I think of this like shooting ki blasts? Maybe if I pretend I'm doing the same thing… _Gohan held the gun out at arm's length.

"Gohan what are you…" Videl voice petered out as he shot the remaining clay pigeons with incredible precision.

He turned to her as his turn finished. "Like that?" He smiled happily. _This isn't so bad._

"Uh... yeah. L-like that." Videl shook herself out of her wide-eyed expression and looked at him suspiciously. "And you said you've never played this game before?"

"Yep."

"Really."

Gohan's smile faded at her look. "What?"

"Nothing." Videl shook her head. If he was gonna lie, then who better to oust him then the best videogame shooter this side of the Mississippi? (yeah no.) A slow grin spread across her lips. "I'm not gonna go easy on you. It's time for round two!"

Round two proceeded much like the first round. Videl shot nearly every one while Gohan made each shot perfectly.

_What is this madness?_ Videl glared at the boy beside her. "Not bad Son Gohan. But it'll take more than that to beat me."

Gohan grinned at her. "If you say so Videl."

Round three ended the short battle. Winner, Gohan!

Videl scowled at the screen and tossed her gun carelessly at the console. "Lousy game. C'mon! I want to try against you in street fighter!"

_Street fighter?_ Gohan thought to himself. _That sounds interesting. _He followed Videl over to another console adorned with bright colors and people in fighting gi.

"So… How do you play this game?" He asked the raven haired girl.

"You use the joystick and buttons to move and control your character." She said confidently, putting quarters into the machine. "I'll go easy on you for the first round. Though it won't do you any good."

Gohan bristled slightly at this. _It's just a game… Just... A game._ He picked his fighter and hit the start button.

It wasn't long before he figured out how to play. It was easy to memorize the combinations and predict his opponent's movements. But it took him too long to understand the game. Videl ended up winning round one.

Videl smirked triumphantly. "What'd I tell you?" She said.

"Hey! That was my first time playing this game!" He said indignantly.

Sharpner appeared at Videl's side to watch. He'd been playing a racing game, but got bored after the first few races. The muscle-bound blond couldn't resist throwing in a taunt. "What's this? The class nerd can't keep up with a real martial artist?"

Gohan felt the telltale fire of competition flicker in his chest. "Just wait till the next round!" He gritted his teeth and turned his attention to the screen.

Two rounds, a few hadokens and a shoryuken later, Gohan's character was standing victorious.

"Hey!" Videl scowled him. "How'd you do that?"

"I guess I'm just a natural." He smirked at the dark scowl on Videl's face. _Ooooh, that felt good._ Achievement acquired: winning a fighting game against the feisty female fatale. Showing her up at something, no matter how insignificant, felt delicious.

Gohan checked himself. Keeping a lid on his competitive nature was proving harder than he thought. It felt nice after so much inactivity with Erasa, but any more might prove hazardous.

"Yeah, a natural at nerd-games." Sharpner scoffed. "Let's do something else."

Gohan scowled at the back of the blonde's head. _Why's he have to be such a jerk about it?_ The three walked around a corner to find Erasa stomping it out on DDR.

"What's this game?" Gohan asked the giggling dancer on the platform.

"It's called Dance Dance Revolution!" She called out jumping up and down. "You have to dance and hit the buttons on the floor in sync with the music." She demonstrated further, but did a horrible job. This went on for a while before Videl got frustrated with her performance.

"Step down Erasa! Let me show you how it's done." Videl pushed the blond off the platform as the song ended. She chose a song at random and started stomping to the beat. Yeah, technically it was called "dancing", but it was more like determined stomping. In short, Videl was barely any better than Erasa.

"HA! You're just as bad as she is!" Sharpner laughed as the song ended.

"Shut up Sharpner!" Erasa biffed him with her purse. "I played this game to have fun! Not beat somebody's high score!"

"Ladies please, let me show you how a man does it." He swapped places with Videl who also biffed him quite roughly on the arm. They had made such a ruckus that a small group gathered around to watch the teens dance.

Sharpner did a good job. He upped the level of difficulty and stomped like a madman. Yes there was sweating and panting when the song ended, but he got rank A. The people around applauded quietly.

"Ha!" He breathed to his friends and the small crowd. "Beat that!"

"Wow Sharpie! I didn't know you were that good at this game!" Erasa said. She turned to Gohan suddenly. "Gohan, you should try it out!"

"W-what?" Gohan was too caught up thinking about how much he'd rather be elsewhere right now. The teen saiyan felt too restless for videogames.

"Yeah ya bookworm! Try it out." Sharpner said, catching his breath. "You'll never be able to top that performance anyway."

A look of intensity crossed Gohan's face. However, it passed so swiftly that in retrospect, most everyone thought they imagined it. After all, this was mild-mannered Gohan we're talking about!

Videl shook herself. _What was that?_ "You gonna do it or what?" She said impatiently.

He took a deep breath. After shopping, he'd been ready to start blowing things up to relieve tension. _You want challenge me? Fine. I'll take you on. _"Sure." Gohan said out loud. "I'll give it a shot." _Anything to release some energy. _He climbed on the platform and selected a song. Unbeknownst to the dark-haired male, Sharpner hit the down arrow and upped the difficulty level. He snickered to himself and stood next to Videl.

Videl saw this and snorted. She didn't say anything to Gohan about it though. _Like Gohan would be able to beat Sharpner at that level. _She thought. _Stupid male arrogance._ (Videl is the saaaaaame)

Gohan bounced in time with the music as the notes appeared on the screen. He hit the first couple no problem. His movements flowed together, unlike his companions stomping, he had a kind of grace. The music sped up as did the steps he took. Music whirled around him and caught him up in its melody. Even his ki rose a bit. _It's kind of like martial arts. Like following a kata._ He allowed his muscles to loosen as he danced. _This is… kind of fun._

Gohan was a surprisingly good dancer. At least at DDR.

The song ended on a high note. Gohan even did a pose like the character on the screen. As the score was tallied, he could hear cheering behind him. Gohan turned around to see the crowd behind him clapping loudly and calling encouragements. He felt embarrassed, dancing in public is embarrassing, but was still pleased. And as good as that applause made him feel, the look on Sharpner's face made him swell with mirth. That boy did a good gasping fish impression.

"Th-that's crazy!" Sharpner spluttered, eyes wide. "No one is that good on the first try!"

"What?" Gohan turned and felt panic at seeing his score. _Crapsandwich!_

"Rank triple 'S'?" Videl whistled softly. She felt impressed despite herself, but no use letting a chance like this go to waste right? "Something you're not telling us Gohan?"

_Frackfrackfrack I'm not supposed to be that good!_

"Yeah Gohan! That was amazing!" Erasa gushed. "Do you take dance classes or something?"

Gohan looked around in a panic. _Think of something quick!_ "Oh, uh… well..." He leaned back casually against the console and gave it a swift and discreet kick.

Normally, this would have made the machine crumple and fly off to the far wall. However, Gohan had the smart idea to try to fry the circuitry from the inside by transferring his energy through his foot. Immediately the machine let out a loud whining noise. Its screen dissolved into jumbles of images and broken lines of code. The lights flickered and a puff of smoke billowed out of the side.

"Oh no!" Erasa looked horrified. "That was my favorite game!" The crowd scattered before they were caught with the troublemakers.

_Sorry Erasa, I'll fix it later I swear!_ Gohan hopped off the platform to find an arcade attendant. "I'll go get help!"

"It must have been on its last legs." Videl walked around to look at the back of the machine. "Funny, it was working just fine a moment ago."

"Well maybe not. I mean… Nerd-boy was actually winning." Sharpner looked at the machine smugly. "No way could he really do that."

"I think that was all Gohan." Erasa said. "No machine, broken or otherwise could fake those moves."

"Yeah well, he did dance pretty good." Sharpner allowed. "But there was no way his score was that high."

"Ahah… yeah." Gohan returned with another guy who slapped a 'broken' sign on the front of the console and left. "It must've been the machine." Outwardly he was nervous looking, but inside he was a little more than annoyed. _Kami Sharpner! Agree right off the bat why don't you! If I wasn't trying to keep my identity hidden… _He took a deep breath. "Let's try a different game?" He suggested.

"Alright." Videl looked around for a moment. _Gohan, did you have anything to do with that? What are you hiding?_ She pointed to a console on the other side of the arcade. "There's a test your strength game over there. Let's try that. I want to see how strong you guys are."

_Test your strength? I'm game for th-No! NONONONONONONONONONO! BAD IDEA. _Gohan smiled and nodded. "Sure." _… Is this my life now? Kami I hate hormones._

The four teens walked up to the test your strength game. It was your standard punching bag tethered to a console to measure punch ability. Bad ju-ju for a certain half saiyan.

"I'll go first." Videl stepped up to the game and dealt a swift right straight to the punching bag. Lights flashed and loud music rang out.

"HIGH SCORE!"

"Yeah yeah, we get it. Videl strongest there is." Erasa shook her head at her best friend. "No surprise there."

Sharpner was next. He hit the bag with a left hook. Lights flashed and his score came up. Lower than Videl's and more than a few others.

"What was that about being stronger than other guys Sharpner?" Videl smirked.

"Yeah yeah, shut it." Sharpner stomped off to another game. "Stupid thing's rigged anyway."

Erasa took her turn quickly. She isn't that strong so she thought nothing of her low score. The bubbly blond teen turned to Gohan. "Your turn!"

"Oh. Uh… I don't know how good I'll be." Gohan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm not so good at punching." _Think, Gohan, THINK!__  
><em>

"Well neither am I, but I did alright!" Erasa encouraged him.

"I get that but… uh..."

Videl scowled. "Just hit the stupid thing." Patience outside of a stake out was never her strong suit.

"Oh... okay..." Gohan got into the worst stance he could possibly imagine and touched his badly clenched fist to the bag. "Like this?"

Videl scowled harder. "Are you trying to piss me off or something?"

"N-no! I just d-don't know much about boxing!" Gohan winced. _Well, that's not completely un-true…_

"Augh." Videl shook her head in disgust. _This doesn't seem right. Gohan doesn't know how to throw a punch? I'm not barking up the wrong tree am I? _ "Here." She grabbed his wrist. "Make a fist with your thumb outside your fingers. You'll break your thumb if you keep it on the inside." She pushed at his chest gently. "Don't lean so far forward. You need to balance yourself so that throwing a punch won't hurt your body."

Gohan blushed at the close contact. _Ohhhh geez. Ohhhh geez Videl's RIGHT THERE. _He almost forgot himself and moved back into his former stance. But, luckily, she already had him move into a loose stance that was just right for amateur punching.

"Now hit the dang thing!" Videl's frustration grew.

"Ah! Yes ma'am!" Gohan pulled his arm back. _Gotta make this look good…_ And with a mighty swing…

…completely missed the bag.

So much so, that he toppled over, smacking his head on the side of the console.

"BAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA." Sharpner cracked up laughing across the room.

"You're so pathetic Gohan." Videl shook off her disappointment and offered a hand to the fallen boy. "But go big or go home right?" Videl found herself chuckling as she pulled him to his feet. She patted him on the back as he cradled his aching head. "I mean, that was one spectacular way to fail a punching game." _Seems he's not hiding anything after all. I must seem like a real jerk, being suspicious of him like that. He's probably just good at video games._

"Oh c'mon guys!" Erasa pouted. "I bet he coulda got one of the high scores if he hit it!"

Sharpner laughed some more. "_If_ he hit it!" The blond teen walked over to his friends. "Come on. I'll treat you guys to ice cream. Brains whiffing at that punching game just made up for all the shopping we went through." He patted Gohan on the shoulder. "Dude, I'll even get you a banana split for that splitting headache of yours." Sharpner turned and lead the girls out the door, laughing good-naturedly.

But Gohan just stood there.

_Why did I just do that?_ He looked from the retreating forms of his classmates to his fist. _There was no reason for me to miss that punching bag. Why did I miss it?_ Gohan shook his head. _I know it was to keep my identity a secret… but is it really such a big deal?_

He turned again to the punching machine. The conversation he had with Piccolo resurfaced in his mind. _If they found out about it, would it really be so bad?_ The dark-eyed teen settled into his customary stance and focused on the punching bag. _Would it kill me to be honest with them? To let them know who I am?_ He pulled his right arm back and held it there. _They'd see me differently, but I could handle it. Right?_ A breeze arose around him as his ki rose. His muscles bunched with the sudden influx in power._ After all, I am different. There is no shame in that. I am not who they think I am. Why do I need to hide it? Like Piccolo said, if they don't like me for who I am, they aren't worth my time and effort! _

Gohan let fly his punch.

The bag tore from the machine and went crashing through the wall. Surprisingly though, the game console didn't break completely. No lights flashed, no music played. Heck the poor machine didn't have a number to describe that punch. Instead, as many zeroes as would fit on the screen came up as the ultimate high score. Gohan typed in his initials and turned from the console.

GHN 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

_I refuse to conform to how they think I should be. As I discover myself, they will see me as I really am._ Gohan walked confidently out of the arcade with Piccolo's words echoing in his head.

* * *

><p>"No way!" Erasa whispered to herself. She'd gone back to get Gohan after realizing they'd left the poor guy behind. She just walked into the arcade to see him punch the living daylights out of that game. Luckily Gohan was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice her just outside the entrance.<p>

"No way! " But it was true! Erasa's eyes nearly popped out of her head at what happened a scarce 2 minutes ago. The muscles in his arm bulged just enough to see them beneath his baggy shirt. His body flowed into the punch so perfectly. His intense dark eyes…. "Nooo way!" Gohan. Cute, nerdy Gohan was secretly a tough guy?! "No way!" Secretly a cool, tough, strong, manly…

"Ohmygosh no WAY!" Erasa squealed. "NowaynowaynoWAY!"

"'No way'? What do you mean 'no way'?"

Erasa whirled around. Gohan stood before her, a puzzled look on his handsome face.

"You… but you…and that…" Erasa stuttered, eyes filled with stars. "No waaaaaaay." She said dreamily.

He smiled at her, confused. "You okay?"

Erasa's mind exploded.

Luckily, Gohan caught her before she hit the ground. The saiyan teen looked at the passed out blond in his arms.

"What was that about?"

* * *

><p>OH MY. This went a little different from I had planned. Buuut I am satisfied none-the-less.<br>BTW thanks for the good reviews about Saiyan-speare. I don't know if I'll continue that though. I've always had a penchant for re-writing characters into fairy-tales from around the world. I might make that my next project… or like a break between chapters. Like the Saiyan-speare.  
>*coughshamelessplugcough*<p>

SO things got super busy since I last posted.

I GOT ENGAGED.

That's why I hadn't been able to update.  
>-squeal-<p>

Thanks for reading! Please review this chappy if you like it. If not… well. *coughcough*


	8. A Rough Day for Secrets

Ever wonder what happens to horseshoe crabs after they get thrown back into the sea by a 6-year-old after coming ashore to lay their eggs?

… I was a horrible child.

**A/N**: So the last chappy was kind of tame. This one is a little more hard-core. Language warning!

**DISCLAIMER**: I wish I was the owner of Dragonball Z. But alas, if wishes were fishes I'd have a really smelly house. I don't own anything.

Ch. 8: A Rough Day for Secrets

* * *

><p>BZZZZZZZZRT<p>

BZZZZZZZZZZZRT

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZRT

BZZZZZZZZ-WHAM!

Gohan blinked blearily at the shattered remains of his alarm clock.

"Shit." He grumbled. "Mom's gonna have my hide for that one." He pulled himself out of bed slowly. Yesterday Gohan spent the day with Vegeta, trying to find his limit. Unfortunately he didn't want to let himself go all out. There were consequences to letting power levels rise too high in a populated area. Even though they were in the new and improved gravity chamber. He kept thinking about what had happened at the mall. They all split up after finding out that Erasa fainted. Sharpner offered them a ride home, but Gohan made an excuse about travel and ended up staying a while before leaving. He had to go back and fix those game consoles after all.

Surprisingly, Gohan also managed to stop a crime as Saiyaman in the same mall. Videl still pestered him, but gave up to instead escape the paparazzi. Overall, it was a pretty good day. But the whole incident with the punching machine left him more than a little distracted. Eventually Vegeta got frustrated, said some choice words, and left him alone to train solo.

Gohan made a slow path to the door. Too bad he forgot about the clothes left on the floor from the night before. The poor saiyan teen promptly tripped over them to face-plant on the floor.

"SONOFVA…" Gohan rolled over on his back and held his aching head. He waited until the pain subsided before getting up. He looked back at the broken alarm clock. "I was right," he mumbled through gritted teeth, "today is going to suck." He stumbled to the door and yanked it open roughly.

It came off the hinges in his hand. "Shit." He repeated. Gohan looked at the now useless door in his hand. "This is just great." He leaned the unhinged door up against the wall and looked at it balefully. The door said nothing. "Screw tanning my hide. Mom will murder me when she finds out."

Groaning at the world, he stumbled down the hall to the bathroom only to find it occupied.

"Hey!" He banged lightly on the door. "I need to use the bathroom. Hurry it up."

"You better not be talking to me in _that_ tone of voice young man!"

Gohan groaned again. "Sorry mom." _It figures._ "Just let me know when you're finished." The shower started running and Gohan tossed his hands in the air before turning to leave. She'd be in there for a half hour at least. He stumbled back to his room and flopped into bed, successfully hitting his head on the bedside table and cracking it in half.

"AUGH!" He gripped his head tightly. _First the clock, then the door, and then mom…_"Stupid… kami-forsaken… lousy frickin'… son of a mother loving-"

"Big brother?"

Gohan caught himself before he cussed in front of his brother. Bad days shouldn't be taken out on one's younger siblings. "Hey Goten." He straightened out of his fetal position. "Why are you up so early?"

"Well, you were at Trunks' house all day yesterday, and before that you were out in the city," Goten looked down at his feet shyly, "and I wanted to play with you and train with you and show you this cool dinosaur I found and …"

"Woah! Slow down there squirt!" Gohan chuckled, cracking a smile for the first time all morning. "What are you trying to say?"

"Well… you said we could play together if I got up early enough that one time…" Goten looked pleadingly up at his older brother. It wasn't cool to ask to spend time with your brother at his age. Even if he wanted to ask about it really, really badly.

Luckily for the blushing 6-year-old, Gohan got the hint. "You want to go train together for a while?" He smiled openly.

Goten nodded. "Can we?"

"Only if you don't tell mom."

The small saiyan pumped his fist in the air. "All right! Lemme go get my gi on!" he said before scurrying off to his own room to get dressed.

Gohan got up from his bed. _Maybe today won't be so bad after all._ Goten somehow made things better. Call it what you will, but Gohan had a special place in his heart for his baby brother. With Goku gone, Gohan had to step it up and become the male role model for the kid. As a result, they were very close. Yeah they still had their arguments and tussles. All siblings have those. But they had something that ran deeper than that.

Gohan carefully stepped over his dirty clothes and pulled out a fresh gi from his dresser. He slipped into them and quietly flew out his window to start warming up on the lawn. Goten joined him a moment later and together, they started doing a simple kata.

"Hey Gohan?" Goten's small fists flew in rapid combos, mimicking his older brother's movements.

"Yeah Goten?"

"Could you teach me how to fly?"

Gohan moved from punches to kicks. "Sure. When would you like to learn?"

"Could you teach me today?"

"I guess. But you'd have to wait until I got home from school."

Goten interrupted his kata by jumping up and wrapping his small arms around Gohan's neck. "Thanks big brother! I can't wait!"

Gohan laughed and spun around. "Me either!" He tossed the giggling boy into the air, dropped to the ground, and began to do some push ups. Goten landed on his back with a loud thud.

"Hey! Extra weight shouldn't move around so much!" Gohan said as Gotten got to his feet.

"Deal with it!" Goten shouted, jumping up and down on his new springboard. "Come on ladies! Keep it up!"

"Ladies?"

"Ye-ap!" Goten grinned, "Trunks says it's supposed to help moti-late ya."

"Motivate me huh? Well I'd rather be offered some breakfast than be called a lady!" Gohan pushed his legs into the air and balanced on his hands. "Seems like he's got some stuff to learn about motivation!" Goten scrambled up his torso to stand on the bottoms of his upraised feet.

The 6-year-old giggled as Gohan did vertical pushups. "No back talk ladies! And ONE and TWO and ONE and TWO and…"

"GOHAN! GOHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The boys froze. Goten looked down at his brother. Gohan looked up and held a finger to his lips.

"GOHAN YOU BETTER GET IN THIS HOUSE RIGHT THIS SECOND!"

Goten crawled down Gohan to look him in the eye. "She sounds real mad Gohan." He whispered, black spiky hair drooping to the ground as he clung upside-down to his brother.

Gohan let himself tumble to the ground, flipping Goten onto the grass. "C'mon then." He sighed. "Let's go inside."

* * *

><p>Gohan slumped at his desk. His ears still smarting from the chewing out he got from his mother. Chichi had come up to his room, intending to wake him up to use the shower. Upon finding the door off the hinges, she dashed inside, found the decimated alarm clock, the dirty clothes on the floor, the broken bedside table, and the broken shoes that Gohan had taken from underneath his mattress to throw out. (did you forget about those?)<p>

Chichi really knew how to make a tirade. Gohan didn't get a word in edgewise. After a solid 20 minute rant, she stopped after seeing Goten nearly in tears. Chichi then stormed off to the kitchen to make breakfast, leaving her last words hanging in the air. Accusatory words that burned in Gohan's head.

"Why couldn't I have had a normal family?!"

The saiyan teen rested his head on the polished surface of the desk, fingering the warped metal of the underside beneath his fingers. He'd nearly lost it at her parting shot. Broiling at his mother's angry words, he'd gone straight to his room, changed, and blasted off to school. He didn't even notice how high his ki had gotten. By the time he'd gone halfway to school, Gohan had already reached super saiyan.

_Kami, why did Goten have to see that?_ Gohan remembered seeing the expression on Goten's face as he left. His brother looked so forlorn standing there, eyes wide and frightened. It had taken everything he had to keep from retaliating against his mother's words and if he spoke… Hell, exploding in front of Goten was the last thing he wanted.

_What was wrong with Mom this morning? That was uncalled for! I mean… This IS normal for me! There is nothing wrong with who… with WHAT I am! _Gohan shut his eyes and waited for class to start. No use working himself into a tizzy again. He sighed deeply. _What am I going to do? _His stomach grumbled a protest from skipping breakfast, but he ignored it stoically. No lunch capsules made it inside his bag either. He was going to regret leaving so quickly, but whatever.

During his flight to school he calmed down enough to revert to his normal state, but was still far too tense for his own good. The dark-eyed teen entered the building early to simmer down and wait for class to start. Normally if he was this early, he'd patrol the city for criminals. However, Gohan felt that if he did that today, someone might die from excessive force. It was a little too early yet for classes to start, so he simply relaxed at his desk. Yeah the school was open, but most students hadn't even shown up. The few people there were setting up, reading quietly, or talking with their friends. It was kind of peaceful.

Too bad that peace was somewhat lost on the troubled mind of the teenaged saiyan.

He buried his head in his arms. "What a mess." He mumbled to the desk.

"Rough morning cutie?"

Gohan jerked his head up. "E-Erasa? What're you doing here so early?"

Erasa shrugged. "Well handsome, I don't get the chance work on homework at home so I usually get here pretty early." She pulled out her chair and settled down at her desk. "You're never early, so you never knew about it."

_H-handsome? I think I'm hearing things. _"That makes sense I guess." Gohan returned his head back to his arms.

Erasa studied his spiky hair a moment. "You know Gohan, I never thought you were the macho type."

Gohan raised his head just enough to shoot her an incredulous look. "What?"

"Oh you know… punching the living daylights out of that strength testing game after we all left." Erasa smiled and shook her head. "Even after whiffing on it so hard right before."

Gohan's entire body seized up. _Oh FRACK! She saw me? SWEET BABY DENDE she saw me!_ He willed himself to relax and let one hand wander up to rub the back of his neck.

"Erasa, I have no idea what you are talking about!"

Erasa grinned and poked a finger in his direction. "You can't lie to me. You stayed back after we left to go get ice cream. I went to find you and I saw you do it!"

Gohan's heart sank like a rock. "Are you sure it was me? I mean, I did stay back, but that was to see if I could help fix the DDR machine. I was the last person to use it after all. Maybe you mistook some other guy as me…" _Please buy it Erasa! Please! This day is bad enough without you telling everyone that I'm some kind of freak!_

"Nope! It was totally you!"

_Dang it!_ "Are you sure? You must've hit your head pretty hard. After all, we did find you passed out on a park bench."

"You mean YOU found me passed out on a park bench! You can't weasel your way out of this one Gohan!"

"Geez! Who are you, Videl?" He stared at the blond. "You certainly _look_ like Erasa though…"

"Ha ha. So funny. Gohan the comedian."

"At least I'm not the one peppering you with questions and accusations."

"Oh Videl doesn't do that _all_ the time."

"Sure. And Sharpner _doesn't_ straighten his hair."

"Will you just admit that it was you?"

He sighed, tired of trying to argue. "I don't know Erasa, I don't think it could have been me." Gohan smiled mirthlessly. "I'm the 'nerd boy', remember?"

"You totally did do it!" Erasa frowned. "And anyway, is that really all you consider yourself to be?"

Gohan snorted. "Nope, but it's all anyone really cares to know about me. So why give them the knowledge that I'm anything more?" He buried his face back in his arms. "If no one even wants to be friendly towards me or find out more about me personally, why waste my time on them?"

"At least give us a chance!" Erasa said indignantly. "What do you think taking you to the mall was for?"

"Gee, I dunno." Gohan's muffled voice imitated her own. " 'Videl, you oughta make it up to him by taking the cutie to the mall!' Yeah. A real attempt to get to know me alright. Pity dates do that quite well."

"That's not…"

"It wasn't?" Gohan's dark eyes pierced hers.

For a second Erasa held his gaze, astounded at such eyes. They were so deep. She looked away suddenly, ashamed. "Well… maybe it was. A little."

"Ahuh."

"Maybe… maybe a lot."

"Mmhmm."

"B-but I really enjoyed shopping with you! It was a lot of fun!"

"Ahuh."

"A-and Videl and Sharpner had a good time too!"

"Ahuh."

Erasa sighed heavily. "I'm sorry Gohan. I didn't mean for you to feel that way."

"Mhmm."

"I just…" Erasa gestured with her hands uselessly. "I just never…"

"Took the time to get to know me."

Erasa, eyes downcast, nodded. "Yeah."

"…"

"I really am sorry Gohan." Erasa fiddled with her hands. "I guess I… I was really selfish about that wasn't I?" She looked back up, guilt clear in her eyes. "I'm sorry Gohan. Can you forgive me?"

Gohan met her light blue eyes with his onyx ones. He looked at her a while, gauging her. Ignoring the other students beginning to trickle into the classroom.

His expression softened and he smiled gently. "Yeah. I forgive you." _Why not? Everyone makes mistakes. There is no reason to hold it against her. _"And I did enjoy myself a little bit."

She sniffled a bit, but smiled. "Thanks Gohan."

"Sure thing. You weren't that much of a jerk anyways." Gohan laid his head back on his arms. "Ignorance and lack of interest does not a jerk make."

Erasa giggled, tears forgotten. "So does this make us friends?"

Gohan looked thoughtful. "I guess so. I mean if you still want to get to know me. The real me." _Superhero secrets aside of course._

"Of course I do!" Erasa bopped him on the shoulder. "You are such a cool guy Gohan. I thought so even before going to the mall."

He chuckled along with her. Erasa Rubbers. His first friend in high school. Bubbly, ditzy, shop-aholic Erasa. Could be worse. "You are smarter than you seem, Erasa."

"Hey thanks. So! Now that we are officially friends…" Erasa leaned in close. Gohan backed up slightly, not liking where this was going. "Did you really punch that machine so hard that you broke it?"

"Ah. Well…" Gohan's face flushed. "That is…"

Erasa let out a squeal. "You DID! I knew it!" She flailed around briefly. "I thought I might've been hallucinating, but you really did pulverize a punching bag! How cool is that! You must be totally ripped to be able to pull off a stunt like that! Ohmygosh Gohan is secretly a hottieeeeee!"

"Shhhhhh!" Gohan hushed her quickly, noticing as more students entered the classroom. "Not so loud! Please just keep this between the two of us, okay?"

Erasa nodded. "Alright, but I don't see why."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"This only makes you like…100% cooler!"

Gohan's face suddenly took on a Krillin-like expression of disbelief. "Is this why you wanted to become my friend?"

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe…."

"Erasa!"

"Okay okay!" Erasa blushed slightly. "You were just so cool that I had to know more! I really meant what I said about being sorry for my attitude toward you earlier. I didn't intentionally mean to be a jerk you know!"

"I don't believe it." Gohan shook his head in exasperation. "You saw me wreck that game and decided to be friends with me then and there?"

"Yep!" Erasa said brightly.

Gohan's face took on an expression of wonder. "You… you don't think I'm strange?"

"Not at all! Well, okay it is a little strange, but this only makes you cooler!" Erasa grinned. "I thought you were a great guy from the get-go! Smart, cute, and ohmygosh! You've got to tell Sharpner and Videl!"

"Wow." _Piccolo was right. _"I mean, no! I don't want people to only want to be friends with me because of something stupid like that. We can't tell anyone!"

"Tell anyone what?"

Gohan spun in his seat to face Sharpner. "NOTHING. AHAHAHAHAHAHA." Gohan said much too loudly. "NOTHING AT ALL." He promptly whipped out his textbook and buried his nose in it. _Smooth Gohan._ The saiyan teen smacked himself mentally. _Real smooth._

Sharpner glanced over at Erasa who shrugged. He shook his head. "Whatever man." Sharpner took his seat two over from Erasa.

Erasa ignored him and continued her conversation with Gohan. "Well, if they ask me about it, I am not going to lie to them!"

"That's fine, but don't go prodding them to ask you!"

"Fine!" Erasa pouted briefly. "Hey, you doing anything later today?"

Gohan was a bit blindsided by the question. "Uh...Y-yeah. I promised my little brother I'd play with him when I got home."

"Aww how sweet!" Little hearts appeared in her eyes. "I didn't know you had a little brother!"

Sharpner looked over at the two of them. "Since when are you two so buddy-buddy?"

Erasa frowned at the blond muscle head. "Since now! Don't be such a jerk Sharpner!"

Sharpner looked surprised. "Sorry. Didn't mean to rub you the wrong way there Erasa. I just wondered." Sharpner turned back to whatever he was doing earlier.

Gohan's mind reeled. _That… just happened._ Acheivement acquired: Make new friends.

Erasa looked over at Gohan smugly. "There! How do you like that, Mr. The-World-Hates-me?"

Gohan got over his shock enough to chuckle slightly. "Mr. what now? You're slipping with the insults." He threw back.

She stuck her tongue out at him and giggled. "Admit it! I am the best at cheering people up!"

"Thanks Erasa." Gohan smiled earnestly. "I really needed it after this morning." Erasa swooned slightly at his honest smile.

"Oh? Even super geniuses have off days?" Sharpner scoffed from across the way, effectively stopping the conversation. "That is _such _a relief!"

Gohan's smile vanished. "That's not very nice Sharpner. Everyone has bad days."

"And then he talks back? Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes-Too-Smart-For-You has a bad day? Oh the humanity!" Sharpner smirked mockingly. "Totally shocking."

_Don't push your luck there Sharpner._ As pleased as Gohan was by the sudden change in relationship status with his classmate, the morning's events still weighed heavily in his mind. A volatile, hormonal saiyan, even one incognito, shouldn't be messed with.

"You're just jealous of his dashing good looks Mr. Bleach-Blond." Erasa retaliated at Sharpner.

"Hey now. Don't diss," Sharpner ran a hand through his glorious blond locks, "the do."

* * *

><p>Videl entered the classroom to find her friend laughing amiably with Gohan. <em>At least they're having a good morning.<em> Videl spent the night trying to find out more about Saiyaman since Gohan was obviously out of the equation at this point. After a fruitless night's work, she was in a slightly bad mood.

"Good morning Miss Satan!" one of her classmates called to her as she walked by.

The glare Videl sent him was downright frosty. "Don't talk to me."

Okay… maybe more than slightly in a bad mood.

"Woah, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Erasa commented on Videl's dark glower.

"Can it, Erasa. I'm not in the mood today." Videl plopped herself down in her customary chair.

"Geez, what's got you so frosty this morning?" Sharpner studied the raven haired girl.

"Still no leads on who Saiya-dork really is." Videl shook her head. "I spent all last night trying to find clues. With as much as we've been seeing him the past week, someone has got to know who he really is."

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?"

Videl scowled at Erasa. "No. I haven't." She missed the look of relief passing over Gohan's face. "But rest assured, I won't stop searching until he's uncovered or I'm in my grave!"

"Ha! That's Videl for you!" Erasa giggled. "Stubborn till the day she dies!"

Videl grinned at her friend. "Better believe it!" _If only finding out about Saiyaman were as easy as getting Erasa to giggle. _"But you know, for a while I thought Gohan might have had something to do with Saiyaman."

"You're kidding!" Erasa gaped at her friend. Gohan stiffened behind her.

"Yeah, but who am I kidding? There's no way Gohan could be Saiyaman." Videl shook her head. Once again she missed seeing Gohan's jaw drop at her statement. "After seeing him try to punch that game yesterday, I figured that was a bum lead."

"Yeah… a bum lead." Erasa tried to hold in her laughter. "Completely. Totally. Waste of time!" She snickered into her hands gleefully.

"Oh yeah?" Videl glowered at her. "Something you know that I don't?"

"Nooooooo…." Erasa grinned in her friend's face cheekily. "I wouldn't keep something from Videl Satan, would I?"

"Hmmm. I should hope not." Videl finally noticed Gohan's expression. Panic? _That's odd. Why would he care if she was teasing him? _Gohan caught Videl's eyes and quickly looked down at his textbook. _Perhaps there is something here to investigate after all._ In truth, she really had started to ditch the idea of Gohan being anything more than a geek. _Guess I have some digging yet to do. Operation befriend and oust Gohan is still in effect! _"You'd better tell me about this later Erasa."

Erasa giggled. "Oh but I couldn't! I have no secrets to tell you!" She ignored the daggers Gohan was shooting at her with his eyes. "You'll have to find out on your own."

"Oh… I will. Trust me." Videl dropped the conversation and turned her attention to the front of the classroom. Their customary teacher had taken the podium.

"Attention students. I want to inform you, before we begin, that your normal third period teacher has eloped with your fourth period teacher and neither will be attending school today."

Sharpner made a face. "Gross."

"None the less," The man adjusted the large glasses on his face, "The other classes will go on as scheduled. The classes aforementioned will be free periods today and today only, so don't celebrate prematurely." But the class let out a cheer anyway. The teacher coughed politely while the teenagers settled. "Please remember that we'll be having an assembly at the end of the week to remember the anniversary of Cell's defeat." Videl let out a groan. She had been trying to forget about that stupid event. Good thing she had a week to steel herself mentally. "We'll be having activities and lessons focusing more on the events that brought us to this point in our glorious heritage all this week starting tomorrow. So be prepared for that."

_Great. _Gohan thought as he let his head fall to the desk. _This day is officially a terrible day._

Videl sent him a curious look. He shrugged and whispered back. "It's been a rough morning." She nodded her agreement and they both settled in for one very tedious lesson.

* * *

><p>"GAH I'm so bored!" Erasa snapped shut her compact. "Whoever said free periods were fun?"<p>

"Tell me about it." Sharpner said with a yawn. "Nothing but boring crap all day and then they give us another period of study hall. Why couldn't all that stuff about Satan day come sooner? That's at least enough to keep my interest."

Gohan looked up from the picture he was doodling. "Satan day?" he asked.

"Yeah. The anniversary of Cell's defeat. You know. Satan day."

"Right." _They gave him a holiday? That's ridiculous!_ Gohan turned back to the drawing he was working on. _That guy couldn't save anything apart from his own popularity._ His ki flared erratically at the thought. To pass the time, he began fiddling with his pen absent-mindedly. The sheer boredom of the day had set the poor teen saiyan's nerves to the limit. It didn't help that he was itching for movement, for a challenge. His empty rumbling stomach only added to the feeling.

"I'm surprised you've never heard of it Gohan." Videl looked over at him curiously. "We've had this thing for seven years straight."

_Seven years…_ "Well I live kinda far away. We don't keep up with the news so much I guess." The pen spinning in Gohan's hand flew faster and faster.

"That's a lame excuse if I ever heard one." Videl commented before looking back to her textbook.

His concentration lapsed. His ki spiked. The pen in his hand came to an abrupt stop some 3 meters above his head, embedded in the ceiling. Gohan's eyes widened. _Crap._

Videl looked up, startled by the thunk the pen made. "What was-"

"GUYS I'm so BORED." Erasa interrupted. "Let's play a game." (Erasa saves the day again!)

"Yeah! That's a good idea." Gohan added hurriedly, sending Erasa a look of thanks.

Videl looked from one teen to the other, scowling. "What game?"

Erasa tilted her head to the side. "You know… I'm not so sure. What do you think Sharpie?"

"I dunno." Sharpner shrugged. "Twenny questions only gets you so far."

Videl smirked suddenly. It was one of those 'I-have-an-idea-that-you-are-going-to-hate' grins. "How about we play truth or dare?"

"Yeah! That's a great idea!" Erasa said. "You wanna play, Gohan?"

_Oh… nonono… Actually, you know what? Today is bad enough as it is. A game of truth or dare couldn't make it get any worse._ Gohan shrugged. "Sure. I'll play."

"Great!" The bubbly blond turned to her best friend. "Videl you're first. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you, to take a piece of chalk from up front. On your way back, you must tell everyone that it's for an investigation."

"Pfft." Videl scoffed and rose from her seat. "Too easy!" She pushed her way down to the board, snagged a piece of chalk and held it aloft. "This chalk is arrested on the following grounds; being white, killing a senator, and writing too much crap we don't understand!" She pocketed the poor writing tool. "We will be keeping it in custody until it reveals who it was working for!" She marched back to her seat triumphantly. Laughter and applause followed her.

Sharpner gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice job babe."

Videl flinched at the nickname before plopping down in her seat. "Thanks Sharpner," Videl grinned maliciously at him, "but it's my turn now. Truth or dare?"

Sharpner swallowed audibly. "Truth."

"Have you ever or do you currently bleach your hair?"

Sharpner broke out in a sweat. "Dare! I meant dare!" Sharpner rule #1: don't ask about the hair.

"Alrighty then." Videl glanced over at Gohan. "I dare you to let Gohan win at arm wrestling."

If Gohan had been drinking water right then, the spit take would have been GLORIOUS.

"Whaaaaat? That's a direct affront to my manhood." Sharpner whined.

"No take backs."

"Maaaan. At least pick someone who'd put up a fight." Sharpner got up from his seat to stand directly in front of Gohan's desk. He ignored Erasa's hearty giggling and rolled up his sleeve. "C'mon Brains. Let's get this over with." His bicep bulged as he set his arm on the desk.

If you listened closely in that moment, boys and girls, you could hear Gohan's teeth grinding together. Gohan slowly lifted his arm and placed it alongside Sharpner's. Erasa hopped up and grabbed their clasped hands.

"Okay guys, relax. We know Sharpner is going to let Gohan win, but let's treat this as a real match huh? Give 'em a show!" Erasa said, motioning to the small crowd of students around them. They'd been just as bored as the four teens had been and decided to watch the spectacle.

"Oh sure! I'm just about to purposefully lose to the weakest guy in the school." Sharpner whined some more. "Everybody come watch."

Gohan's dark eyes snapped with veiled anger. _Sharpner… you are really..._ He kept his mouth shut, however, and waited patiently for Erasa to give the okay.

Erasa giggled. "You might be surprised Sharpie!" Suddenly she released their hands. "Go!"

Gohan knew that Sharpner didn't stand a chance. Then again, he didn't want to give himself away so fast. Videl was watching, after all. So naturally, what happened next was mighty strange in the eyes of the onlookers.

Both teens sat there, unmoving.

Videl's brow furrowed. "What the heck?"

Sharpner had decided to let Gohan win by a close margin. Better let Gohan sweat that he wasn't going to carry through with the dare. Snickering to himself, the blond applied just the slightest pressure to Gohan's arm.

Nothing.

_What the…?_ Sharpner's face got all screwed up with effort. Why didn't Gohan move? The veins in his arm began to bulge and strain. Sweat appeared on his forehead.

Gohan didn't budge.

Sharpner gripped the side of the desk with his other arm and threw his weight into play. His face began turning red. He willed the arm he was straining against to move.

Still, Gohan didn't budge.

After a moment or two more of comedic grunting on Sharpner's part, Gohan slowly put Sharpner's arm to the desktop. The student audience applauded quietly, but wasn't very impressed. "Sharpner really got into it didn't he?" one student commented. "Yeah," said another, "but the nerd wasn't buying a lick of it." "Pity. Could've been a cool show."

Gohan released the red-faced blond's hand and went back to staring out the window. Sharpner stumbled back from Gohan.

"Wha... What in the…"

"I told you Sharpner. You'd be surprised!" Erasa giggled. Her eyes filled up with stars looking at Gohan.

Videl looked at her suspiciously, but shook it off."But you really played it up there Sharpner." Videl said. "Gohan shoulda matched your expression. Too bad he was a stick in the mud about it."

"I'm right over here you know." Gohan murmured.

Sharpner scowled at Gohan as he moved back to his seat. He didn't know what kind of trick Gohan just pulled, but he wasn't falling for it. The teen looked down at his hand and then back up at Gohan. It was a trick… right?

Gohan watched him, eyes flashing. _I'll take you on anytime Sharpner._ The teen saiyan caught a hold of himself. _Geez… I shouldn't do that. I'm liable to hurt him if I'm not careful. _

"Okay! It's your turn Sharpie!" Erasa chattered.

Sharpner, caught off guard, asked Erasa next. "Alright then. Erasa, truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

"Do you go commando?"

Videl made a face. "Sharpner! Terrible question!"

"First off, rude. Second, I never go commando." Erasa did a z snap in Sharpner's face. She ignored his sigh of disappointment. "Alright Gohan! Truth or dare?"

Gohan didn't hesitate. "Dare."

"Strip."

Cue spit take from Videl. "WHAT?!" Both teens shouted.

Erasa looked from one to the other. "You heard me. Take off your shirt and swing it above your head. Kinda like those cowboys do at rodeos."

"He can't do that!" Videl shouted, blushing. "That's indecent!"

"Yeah! I can't just strip my shirt off willy-nilly!" Gohan protested, also blushing. _Erasaaaaaa! What are you trying to do to me?!_

"I want to see if you have a rockin' hot bod is all."

Videl slapped a hand to her forehead. "Erasa…"

"I'm not taking it back."

Gohan sighed. "Fine. Truth then."

"Are you secretly ripped?"

"Uuuughghghgh." Gohan threw his hands in the air. "Yes! I am secretly super strong and have long flowing chest hair." (don't google that)

Videl laughed outright. "No wonder you don't want to take off your shirt! Long flowing chest hair… HA!" She looked over at Erasa. "Please tell me you don't believe that!"

"Sure I do! Maybe not the chest hair part, but I betcha he's a total hunk!" Gohan blushed at that, but Erasa continued. "Try looking beyond the surface for once!"

"I do that all the time. It's my job, remember? And anyway, it's so obvious that he's lying. Right Sharpner?"

"Uh, yeah." The muscle-bound blond looked down at his hand, doubt coloring his voice slightly. "Lying."

* * *

><p>Poor baby. Everybody gang up on the Gohan.<p>

There was more, but I felt bad and decided to give Gohan a break. Next chappy will continue the really-bad-no-good-terrible-day.  
>Did anyone call the whole 'Erasa tries to get Gohan to strip' deal?<br>If you did, you win a cookie. *omnomnom*

Thanks to all those who sent in congratulations! I really appreciate it! :D  
>Read and Review for the lovely continuation.<p> 


	9. A Rough Day for Secrets (Part Two!)

We're playing the feud!  
>-weeps brokenly-<p>

DISCLAIMER: Just come out and say it. You don't own Dragonball Z. Say it with me, "I don't own Dragonball Z". The sooner you accept that, the better your life will be.

Ch 9: A Rough Day for Secrets (Part Two!)

* * *

><p>Sharpner waited outside the men's shower in the locker room. Gym had followed directly after the two free periods. It was the last class of the day for this particular day of the week. Gym was boring though. The teacher had everyone jogging around the track and doing stamina exercises in preparation for the week of martial arts they were to learn as a prep for Satan day.<p>

The blond teen watched as most of his classmates exited the locker room. Not a whole lot of students took advantage of the school showers, but those who got exceptionally sweaty usually got it over with as fast as they could. Today, someone decided to wait a bit before showering. Sharpner glanced inside.

Sure enough, there stood Gohan, fully clothed in his long, baggy gym attire, glancing about nervously. The shy nerd never took a shower after gym. Why did he decide to change that habit today? In any case, it was too good an opportunity to pass up! Sharpner grinned. Time to tease the nerd.

It was too steamy to see much, but soon Sharpner heard water run. Swiftly, he darted in and snagged Gohan's clothes. Holding his prize triumphantly, he dashed out into the main locker room. The few guys left in the locker room laughed.

"You are my witnesses!" Sharpner said to them, grinning widely. "Brains is gonna come out here in nothing but a towel. Then, I'm gonna lead him on a merry chase around the school to get his stuff back."

"Hard core!" One burly jock high-fived Sharpner. He motioned to his buddies behind him. "We'll keep a lookout for ya, but we need to get our stuff together for practice after school."

"Cool." Sharpner nodded. He pulled out a cell phone. "I'll snag some pictures for you then."

"Awesome! See ya!" The boys left the blond to wait by himself in the slightly steamy locker room.

He leaned up against the lockers to wait, contemplating his newest act of hazing. It's not like he hated the kid, but Gohan was just way too fun to tease. That and even though Brains was growing on him, he still couldn't shake the fact that Videl was unnaturally interested in the guy. It was totally time to step up the manly teasing. Sharpner listened as the water shut off and footsteps echoed in the quiet. A moment later he heard a gasp. A crunching noise came from the shower room, followed by an almost inhuman roar.

"SHARPNERRR!"

There is an instinct buried deep within the psyche of humans. It is commonly referred to the 'fight or flight' reaction. For the briefest of moments, Sharpner was ready to run like hell away from the source of that sound. Who knew that one voice could carry such raw energy! Like some primordial man out of time was shouting his name. He shook himself and reminded his heart to keep beating normally. Gohan was no beast to be running from. Heck the nerd could barely keep up with Erasa in PE! Though how the kid was able to make his voice sound so threatening…

"You need me for something?" Sharpner called loudly. He smirked at the expression he was sure was on Gohan's face.

"This isn't funny Sharpner." Gohan's voice was dangerously low. "Give me back my clothes!"

"Why don't you come and get them, nerd?" Sharpner relished the anger he heard in the teen saiyan's voice. He waited for the poor boy to round the corner with bated breath.

It should be noted that Sharpner expected to see Gohan the nerd. Blushing, ashamed, weak little towel clad Gohan the nerd. What came around the corner was definitely NOT Gohan the nerd!

The person who appeared around the corner was tall and ridiculously well-built. A towel hung low around super defined abdominal muscles. Muscles without any trace of fat glistened slightly with moisture under the florescent light. Jet black hair hung down in spikes over eyes that burned with anger. Those eyes, so deep, penetrated through Shaprner's petty thoughts of revenge.

Sharpner felt his jaw drop. "Guh… Gohan?"

Gohan strode up to the shell-shocked blonde. Staring him dead in the eye, he spoke. "Give. My clothes. Back."

All resistance within Sharpner failed. He raised his arm slowly and handed Gohan his garments.

Gohan nodded. "Thank you." He said before turning back to the showers to change.

Sharpner watched Gohan's back, which was equally toned and defined, retreat through the steam. Slowly he sunk down the lockers to rest on the floor. He held his head in his hands.

"No way."

Sharpner's brain explosion was interrupted by a knock on the door to the men's locker room.

"Sharpner? Gohan?" Erasa's high-pitched voice carried through the door easily. "The teacher sent me to check on you. Is everything alright in there?"

Sharpner silently opened the door and walked past Erasa to slump against the far wall.

"Sharpie?" Erasa bent down to look him in the eye. "You okay?"

The boy looked past her sightlessly. "No way." He repeated in a state of shock.

Erasa broke into a grin. "No way?"

Sharpner looked back at Erasa, surprised. Something clicked in his mind. "No way!" he said again.

"NO way?!"

"No way!"

Erasa bounced up and down. "No way!"

Sharpner buried his head in his hands. "No waaaaaaaaaaay!"

"So… are you guys going to stand there and do this all day?" Sharpner and Erasa looked up to see Gohan, normal clothed Gohan, standing next to them. His expression wasn't as stormy as it had been earlier, but he didn't look pleased.

"Gohan!" Sharpner scrambled to his feet. "I'm sorry man! I didn't mean to…"

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the flailing teen. "Didn't mean to pick on the weak little nerd, or didn't mean to accidentally find out how much I can bench-press?"

Sharpner's face turned beet red in shame. He looked away from Gohan. "When you put it that way…" He sighed. "I've been a misjudging jerk huh?"

"The biggest jerk." Erasa said. "A total Jerky Jerkface. Super Jerkerson Mcjerksalot."

Sharpner rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the support."

"It's, like, what I'm here for."

Gohan shook his head. "Whatever. Just forget it." He turned and started walking away. He stopped just as a hand descended on his shoulder.

"I mean it. I've been horrible to you for no good reason." Sharpner didn't even try spinning him around. Instead, he walked in front of Gohan and spread his arms wide. "I only judged you based on what I saw."

"And you didn't bother to look any deeper. I get it." Gohan pushed him gently aside and started walking to class. "Just drop it."

Sharpner watched him leave. He ran a hand through his blond hair. "Damn." He muttered before looking to Erasa. "I really botched that huh?"

"Totally botched it."

Sharpner frowned. "I guess he hates me now huh?"

"Nah." Erasa started after Gohan. "I don't think Gohan hates anyone. He is just tired of putting up with preconceived crap."

Sharpner followed her, looking at her strangely. "You are smarter than you seem Erasa."

She giggled. "So I've heard."

* * *

><p>Gohan sat up on the roof alone, thinking. Lunch had come after gym class, but since he had no lunch to eat, he sat on the roof of the school to contemplate things. His head rested in his hands. His mind, however, spun endlessly in circles.<p>

_Kami above. How did I get into this mess? First that whole thing with mom… and then Erasa... and that thing with Sharpner! _Gohan didn't usually take showers at school. He never worked up a sweat so he felt no need to take one. But since he missed on this morning, he figured it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Poor siayan had no idea what his classmate had planned. _That guy… How much of a jerk could you be?! Seriously! I've put up with his shenanigans before, but that wasn't funny at all! _Gohan fumed slightly. _I hate bullies like that._

Gohan allowed himself to lean back against the low wall that encircled the rooftop, trying to calm down. Keep the unstable ki under control and all that. Heck he even smashed a hole in the wall of the shower room earlier! Luckily it hadn't been Sharpner's head that received that blow. Better try to keep it low-key.

His thoughts moved to more immediate consequences of people discovering more about him. _Just when school was getting better, things take a turn for the worst._ _Soon everybody is will know about me and then what? Videl will oust me as Saiyaman before I know it! I hate to think what that would mean for us. Publicity, paparazzi, scientific observations… worse, mom will kill me! She'll kill me horribly, bring me back with the dragonballs, kill me again, hunt me down and kill me in the afterworld. _Gohan let out a deep soul shuddering sigh. _I know I said that I didn't care what people thought, but way easier said than done. Everyone is going to think of me as a freak! School is going to be completely unbearable after this._ He turned his eyes to the sky, ignoring the rumbles in his stomach. _So much for staying under the radar at school. _

His thoughts stopped cold as he sensed an all too familiar presence on the roof. He turned his head to see a familiar blue-eyed gaze.

"Hey Gohan." Videl walked casually over to him, hands behind her back. "Finished with lunch already?"

"Not really. Actually I…" a strong grumble from deep in his gut interrupted Gohan, "… I forgot to pack a lunch today. I don't have my wallet on me either, so I guess I'm going without today."

Videl nodded. "Erasa said that you had a tough morning." She pulled out two sack lunches from behind her. "Here." She said as she passed one to Gohan.

Gohan slowly took the bag from her, eyes wide. He opened the sack and peered into its depths. An apple, orange, turkey sandwich, bag of chips, and a coke greeted him. His face broke into a genuine smile, as bright as the sun and as wide as the sky. "Thank you Videl!" He exclaimed.

Videl's heart thudded. "Don't mention it." She said, smiling. She plopped herself down next to Gohan and opened her own sack lunch. "It was Erasa's idea anyway."

"I'll have to give her my thanks later." Gohan dug into the sack lunch with gusto. "I really needed this!"

"So, had a rough morning huh?" Videl chewed her apple thoughtfully. "What happened to make you so off your game?"

"Ah." Gohan swallowed a slice of orange. "F-family problems."

"Oh." Videl nodded sympathetically. "Been there."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Videl looked up from her lunch. "I know it's hard to believe. The famous Videl Satan, daughter of the great Hercule Satan, having family issues."

"Not that hard to believe. Everybody has problems." Gohan polished off his apple in three bites. "What makes a person is how they choose to deal with those problems."

"Huh." Videl smiled lightly. "You're a pretty deep guy Gohan." She joked.

Gohan shrugged. "Don't judge a book by its cover." He said before devouring the sandwich in record time. "But no. That was something my dad told me."

"Your dad? He sounds like he's one heckuva guy."

Gohan winced. "Yeah."

"Makes me wonder why you'd have family problems."

"Ah… well my mom is a bit," Gohan searched for a good word, "controlling."

Videl chuckled. "Understood." She lifted her coke to her lips. "My dad is the same way."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah." She took a drink. "It's like he's in a love/hate relationship with my police work. He loves the publicity, but hates the danger to me." Videl shrugged. "But I guess that's the way it is with all parents."

"There's the understatement of the century."

"Hah. Yeah."

Gohan looked sidelong at Videl. _That was unexpected. No questions delving into my family? No scathing remarks about nerds? _Gohan smiled to himself. _This is… kind of nice._

* * *

><p>Videl watched as Gohan smiled gently again. <em>He's got a nice smile.<em> Videl shook her head. _Stupid brain! There is a reason that I am spending time with him! Gotta make this count!_ She spoke aloud. "You know Gohan, you're not such a bad guy after all."

"Oh." Gohan looked surprised. "Thanks Videl." He smiled gently. "You're not so bad yourself."

Videl felt her face heat up. _What's with that reaction? Stay focused!_ "Thanks." She averted her clear blue eyes from his deep dark ones. "Erasa told me about yesterday by the way."

Gohan stiffened. "She… She did?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry you felt that we were just dragging you with us on a pity date." Videl spoke truthfully. "It was kind of a jerk move for us to do to you."

"Oh." Gohan relaxed. "It's alright."

Videl raised an eyebrow. _There _is_ something she knows about Gohan! Something he doesn't want me to know! OOOOOooooh that Erasa! She'd better tell me if she knows what's good for her!_

"Say Gohan," Videl spoke suddenly, "are you doing anything later? We're hanging at the park for a while if you wanna join."

Gohan looked at her curiously. "Well, I promised I'd go play with my little brother, but I am thinking that over." He looked down at the now empty paper sack in his lap. "I'm not sure I'm ready to go home yet."

Videl felt a pang of sympathy for the guy. How many times had she been in his position? Not wanting to go home and face her father's idiocy?

She scooted closer to pat him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it so much. Come do something with us today after school. It'll help take your mind off things. Besides, I'm sure talking with your mom will clear the air, right?"

He sighed. "I hope so." He looked at her with a wistful expression on his face. "I'll think about it. Thanks for the invite."

She smiled up at him comfortingly. "No sweat."

The two teens sat like that for a moment before realizing how close they were. Their faces turned red alarmingly fast and they moved apart quickly. Videl looked at the blushing teen across from her. She formed a fist, reached out and bopped him on the arm. "No wise cracks, ya hear?"

He laughed. It was a beautiful sound, lighthearted and free. A golden laugh. Videl felt her heart begin to race for the second time that day, watching him throw his head back and carelessly laugh like that. _What is wrong with me today?!_

"Don't worry about that." Gohan said after he calmed down a bit. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Videl got up from her spot on the roof. "C'mon. Lunch is almost over."

Gohan nodded. "I'm … going to stay up here a minute." The restlessness he felt inside was expanding. He needed to let off some steam before going back to mind-numbing class lectures. "See you later."

"Alright. See ya." Videl headed down to class, fighting off the guilty feeling that washed over her. _Keep your focus Videl. If you wimp out on this, you'll never find out what that guy is hiding._

Videl paused in her descent from the roof. She turned and glanced behind her._ Gohan sure is a weird one, but a good one. _She allowed a small smile, pushing the guilt away with a happy thought. _Good thing Erasa suggested the lunch thing. It seemed like he really needed cheering up. _The raven haired girl glanced down the hallway and grinned maliciously as she saw her two blond friends chatting. _Speak of the devil! Time to ask some questions!_

She walked up on the two blonds, catching the tail end of their conversation.

"… me just how jacked he was." Erasa was saying.

"Why, _hello_ Erasa!"

Erasa looked at Videl, startled. "Oh hey Videl."

"It's so _good_ to see my _bestest friend_ in the whole world!" Videl smiled sweetly.

Erasa looked from Videl to Sharpner and back to Videl. "Uh…"

"My _best _most _honest _friend in the whole wide world who would absolutely_ never_ keep secrets from me!" Videl gushed, walking closer to the pair of blonds.

Erasa gulped. "G-great to see you too Videl." She pulled at Sharpner. "I guess we'd better get to class huh?"

"Uh… yeah!" Sharpner smiled nervously. "Time to get to class!"

_Since when does Sharpner ever want to go to class early? Wait a second… Does he…?! _"Oh but hold on a second guys!" Videl put a restraining hand on Erasa's shoulder. "I want to tell you guys more about how you're both such open, honest, wonderful…"

"NO! NOT THIS TIME!" Sharpner's resolve broke as he bolted for the classroom. "I'm NOT getting sucker-punched again! YOU DO IT ERASA!"

"Sharpner you JERK!" Erasa hollered after him. "Don't leave meeeeeee!"

Videl looked triumphantly into the blond girl's large, frightened blue eyes. Erasa swallowed nervously.

"Spill it."

* * *

><p>"I don't believe you."<p>

"But it's _true_!" Erasa protested. "_Sharpner_ believes me too!"

"Ahuh sure."

"Why would I lie to you? I even promised I'd keep it a secret!" Erasa's pout changed to a look of horror. "Ahhh! I told you! No one is supposed to know that I know he's totally ripped! Gohan is going to kill me!"

"No he won't. I think you made all that stuff up just so I'd like him better." Videl scowled. "That's not very nice Erasa. You went this far, even lying to me, just to get me to like him. And you even thought Sharpner would buy into it?"

"Shaprner believes me! He saw it too!" Erasa sighed. "At least I don't have to worry about what Gohan would say. You obviously don't believe your best friend since elementary."

"Aww, don't be like that Erasa." Videl's frown softened. "Just because I don't believe you doesn't mean I'm not your best friend anymore."

"Well, you oughta believe me! I'm telling the truth!" Erasa threw her arms up in a huff. "Go to the arcade and take a look for yourself ya big meanie! No wonder Gohan is so careful around you! Always too skeptical for your own good! You are just too…. GEEZ!" Erasa stormed away in a huff.

Videl watched her leave, shocked. Did Erasa, bubbly, ditzy, best friend for the ages Erasa, just tell her off? _She couldn't be telling the truth… could she?_ The teen crime fighter walked slowly to class. _She really believes that Gohan is… _Videl shook her head. _What is going on here?_

She took her seat next to Sharpner and Erasa hesitantly. She looked back and forth between the two, but didn't say anything. Sharpner looked too nervous for his own good. Erasa looked positively steamed.

They sat in silence for a while.

"…"

"…"

"… I'm sorry, alright?"

Erasa looked over to her best friend. Her eyes softened at the embarrassed genuineness on Videl's face. "I forgive you. I know I was the same way."

On the other side of Videl, Sharpner let out a breath of relief. "Thank kami. I thought for sure I was gonna get punched again."

Videl whacked him on the shoulder. "There. Happy now?"

Sharpner rubbed his sore shoulder. "Maaaaan…" The blond quickly lowered his gaze to his textbook as he noticed Gohan enter the classroom.

Videl quirked up an eyebrow. "Something happen between you and Gohan?"

Sharpner stiffened. "N… no."

"They had a falling out earlier." Erasa supplied. "It's been a little tense since then."

"Ah." Videl nodded sagely. "You'd better work it out then. Otherwise there'll be no one to help you with your math homework."

Sharpner's face fell. Not so much because of the homework problem, but because he was beginning to realize how much a simple stereotype had crippled any sort of friendship he might have had with Gohan. The kid was indeed a nerd, but there was so much more to him. Sharpner looked at Videl and felt utterly guilty. She was oblivious, like he had been.

The blond teen looked down at his notebook as the teacher entered the classroom. Quickly, before anyone could see what he was doing, he scribbled down a note. He reached behind Videl and passed it to Erasa. Curiously, Erasa took the note, read it, and passed it to Gohan.

The dark-eyed boy read the note. Sharpner held his breath, watching the wheels turn in Gohan's eyes. He watched as Gohan took out a pen and wrote a reply. Erasa took the note and passed it back to Sharpner, grinning. The blond teen flipped the note open and read quickly.

_I really am sorry Gohan. Can we talk later?_

_Yeah Sharpner. We can talk._

Sharpner looked over at Gohan. The boy met his gaze and nodded. Sharpner smiled and returned his attention to the teacher. After all, knowledge opens up a world of possibilities.

* * *

><p>Gohan walked up to the front door of Capsule Corp. on a mission. School had ended and with it came the problem of going home. The teen saiyan wasn't too keen on hanging out with Videl and the gang until he solved the problem of going home. Chilling out with two people who knew a little of who he really was along with the girl who wanted to out all his secrets may prove a little difficult in his current state. He'd need all of his concentration for that. Besides, Gohan still felt much too unsettled to go back and face his mother. Hopefully, Bulma would agree to let him spend the night. Maybe blow off some steam with Vegeta, play with Trunks... That sort of thing.<p>

But before he could knock on the door, it opened. A lavender blur threw itself at Gohan and latched itself around his neck.

"Hey Trunks!"

"Gohan!" Trunks cried happily. "Where ya been!"

"It's good to see you too kid." Gohan ruffled the lavender hair fondly. "What's been going on?"

"Not much." Trunks said as Gohan walked them inside. "I got a new game that's really fun."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! You should totally see it." Trunks looked over at Gohan questioningly. "Are you gonna stick around this time?"

Gohan shrugged. "That's what I wanted to talk to your mom about."

"Alright!" Trunks let out a whoop and squirmed out of Gohan's arms. "So you're gonna stay and play? There's no way mom's gonna say no to you Gohan!"

"Is that so?" Gohan chuckled at the seven-year-old. "Where is your mom? I'll go ask her if I can spend the night here."

"I think she's up in her room." Trunks pointed up the stairs. "It's up the stairs to the left." The boy turned and ran to the living room. "Let me know what she says!"

"Thanks." Gohan meandered up to the first floor of the residence. He reached the second door on the left and was about to knock when he heard some… suspicious noises.

"Oh Kami!"

Gohan froze. His eyes widened comically as he heard grunting sounds from behind the door. He backed away slowly.

"Harder Vegeta…. HARDER!"

Moans and panting followed the grunting. A steady thumping noise reached his ears.

"Oh Yes… yesyesYES!"

Gohan, face as white as a sheet, ran for his life. On some level, what they were doing registered in his mind, but he rejected it with every fiber of his sanity. Some things you can never un-see. Even in your head.

Trunks looked up in surprise as Gohan barged in suddenly. "Did you find mom?" He took in Gohan's face and frowned in sympathy. "I see you found dad too.

Gohan nodded shakily. "How'd you know?"

"This happens a lot."

"Oh." _Kami above! He has to deal with this all the time? _"Do you uh…" Gohan swallowed nervously. "…know what they're… doing in there?"

Trunks shrugged. "Dad said they were doing a kind of training that only married people do." He looked at Gohan mischievously. "Do you know what they were doing Gohan?"

Gohan turned bright red. He looked at his watch suddenly. "OH LOOK AT THAT! There's a heist at the bank! They're going to need me! I'll come back later!" Gohan ran for his life… again.

Trunks snickered to himself as he watched Gohan take off. He knew exactly what his parents were doing. He'd accidentally caught them a few times. (poor, poor Trunks) The boy felt bad for Gohan, but he just couldn't pass up the chance to tease him. That reaction was priceless!

* * *

><p>Gohan flew over Satan city, trying to fight down a fearsome blush. <em>Of course I knew what they were doing! I'm not COMPLETELY naïve! <em>The blush reached down his neck and across his chest. His helmet didn't help cool him off much to say the least. Halting mid-air, Gohan reached up and pulled the helmet off his head. A fresh breeze blew cool air on his steaming cheeks.

"Ahhh. Much better." He tucked the helmet under his arm. "Better go super though. I don't want anyone to recognize me so easily." In a flash his hair went gold and his eyes blue. Gohan floated through the air easily, looping about and enjoying the feel of the wind. Nothing beats flying. Except maybe lunch.

Gohan's thoughts drifted back to lunchtime. _Videl was really nice today. I wonder… _He shook his head. _Nah. There aren't any ulterior motives with her anymore. She's all but given up on me. Heck, she said it herself. There was no way I could be Saiyaman. _His ki rose a little with his annoyance. _She was so quick to write it off too! But then again, I haven't exactly been forthcoming about it._ Gohan did a few flips to release the excess energy. _But Erasa knows I'm no wimp. Heck even Sharpner... _The careless flying about ground to a halt. _Oh no! I forgot to talk to Sharpner even thought I told him we would! _Gohan felt a sudden guilt weigh upon his chest. It lifted as soon as he remembered Videl telling him that they were going to the park to hang out.

He zoomed straight to the park, which so happened to be right beside Satan city national bank. (bad city planning = great storytelling) Landing in some bushes, the superhero flicked the button on his watch and powered down. Not feeling the normal tingle, Gohan looked down in surprise at his body.

Nothing had happened. His new saiyasuit stayed firmly on his body.

"Aw no! How could it be broken _again?_!" He hit the button again. This time, the clothing flickered before returning to his body. "Maaaaaan. I'll have to ask Bulma to fix it for me." He sighed, grabbing his helmet. "Better put this thing back on again." He shoved it on his head.

Suddenly, he was dressed in his normal clothes.

"What the…" He scratched his head. _It… worked. Why did it work just then?_ Gohan glanced around again to see if anyone was nearby. Finding himself still alone, he pressed the button again. The saiyasuit covered his body. Just like it was supposed to.

The saiyan teen reached up and took off the helmet. He set it on the ground and hit the button on his watch.

Nothing.

"Huh." Gohan muttered, placing one hand on each hip. "It doesn't work without the full costume." He raised a hand to his chin. _How strange. I wonder Bulma can modifiy it. I'd hate to think what would happen if it got burnt in some way and I wouldn't be able to change back without_ _stripping._ A blush cam back to his cheeks as he remembered the last time he stripped to help out as the gold fighter. _Never again._

He bent down to pick up the helmet when the blare of sirens reached his ears. He jerked up suddenly. _The Bank!_ Without a second thought, he dashed through the bushes to survey the scene in front of him.

Several cop cars had pulled up to the front of the building and even more were pulling up behind them. On the front steps of the bank were at least fifteen masked men holding automatic weapons. One of them fired into the crowd of policemen. Several cops were flung to the ground, holding themselves tightly where a bullet had hit them.

"Oh no!" Gohan started towards the bank. "I've got to do something!" He was about halfway there when he stopped dead. "FRACK! My helmet!" He spun around and jumped back into the bushes. Snagging his helmet, Gohan sped to the scene.

* * *

><p>Videl crouched behind a cop car and threw her arms over her head. This was the second time this bank had been held up this month! And it was another intense firefight. Figures this happens on the day she decides to go out with friends. Her eyes flitted to the policemen who had already been hit by bullets. "Shit." She muttered. It was always hard to watch when someone else was injured in a fight.<p>

"Miss Videl!" Videl turned around to see Saiyaman descend from the air.

She smirked. "For once I'm glad to see you here!"

He nodded, voice muffled from beneath his helmet. "This one seems way too intense for the police."

"You figure that out on your own?" Sarcasm dripped from her voice. "And here I thought you couldn't see anything through that tin can on your head." She gestured to the crooks holding up the bank. "They're a bit wiser this time around. There's not another way for me to get in. They have all the exits covered." She glanced over the hood of the car. "They don't have any hostages, but they are much more heavily armed." She gestured to another cop car. "We have the place surrounded, but it's doing us no good. Bullets have been flying non-stop around here. Heck, Chief told me that we already have a civilian casualty!"

Saiyaman's muscles tensed. "We've got to clear the area." His voice carried a deep tone of anger. Videl looked at him, surprised. _Since when is Saiyaman so serious?_

The female crime fighter's brows knit together. "Yeah. We've got to get all civilians out of here."

Saiyaman nodded. "Easier said than done. However," he gestured at the bank in front of them, "the police can hold the fort here while we work. We've got them surrounded. No one is going anywhere."

"Good point." _We need to get the people out of here. But, I can't sweep the city surrounding the park and the park myself! Damn… I can't believe this!_ Videl straightened slightly and offered her hand. "I hate to admit it, but I need your help on this one Saiyaman."

He looked surprised, but took her hand and shook it with a firm grip. "Let's work together, Miss Videl!"

She pointed behind him and spoke above the gunfire. "You start on that side and I'll work this one. We'll meet up and sweep the park together." Without acknowledging his agreement, she darted off to the people who gathered to watch the spectacle.

After a few minutes, Videl had managed to clear away those who were watching the scene from the city side. Once Videl Satan tells you to clear out, you clear out!

The raven haired teen dashed back around to the park to begin sweeping for civilians. She wasn't at all surprised to see Saiyaman already there, hollering at groups of joggers and picnickers. Videl joined him and together they worked to get people out of the area.

It didn't take long at all. The two of them worked together so well that it was almost frightening. In fact, they had almost finished the sweep when they came across a little girl crying at a swing-set near edge of the park.

Videl was a little hyped up on adrenaline. "Where's your parents?" She asked brusquely.

The little girl cried harder.

"No! I mean, don't cry! It's okay." Videl soothed. "It's okay. I just need to find your parents. Do you know where they are?"

The little girl shook her teary face and cried harder.

"Oh boy…" Videl moved closer to the girl, but she just backed away. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped slightly. "Let me." Saiyaman said gently. Videl gulped and nodded, moving aside to let Saiyaman talk to the girl. She'd been so focused that she nearly forgot he was there!

"Hello there." Saiyaman crouched down to the girl's level. "What's your name?"

The little girl looked at him with wide, teary eyes.

"Oh! I must look a little weird with this helmet on huh?" Saiyaman reached up and flipped open his visor. "Is that better?"

Videl's eyes widened as the little girl calmed down a bit and nodded. Videl craned her neck around to try to catch a peek. _His visor opens! If I could just see his eyes!_ The little girl looked at her worriedly and Videl backed off a little. _Maybe… not a good time._

Saiyaman noticed the little girl's reaction and gestured to Videl. "Don't worry little one. She's a good guy!" Videl could hear the smile in his voice. "She's Videl Satan. A superhero crime fighter extrodinaire!" The little girl's eyes widened as he continued. "And she won't hurt you. She's just worried because bad guys are coming and we need to get everyone out of here. Do you understand?"

The girl nodded again. Saiyaman's voice, not the ridiculously low stage voice he used, was light. "That's great! I'm uh… I'm Saiyaman. What's your name?"

"… Treesa." A small, timid voice answered him.

"Well Treesa, would you like to come with us? We'll help find your parents okay?" He offered his hand to her. She reached out slowly and took it. Treesa walked forward shyly as he flipped his visor down. Saiyaman turned to Videl and said, "Miss Videl, I'd like you to meet my friend Treesa."

Videl knelt down and held her arms out to the girl. "I'm sorry I scared you. Forgive me?"

Treesa nodded and gave Videl a hug. Videl smiled and looked up, amazed at Saiyaman. "Thanks." She said.

"No prob-" He was interrupted by the squeal of tires and the sound of gunfire. "Get down!" Saiyaman shouted, moving himself in front of the girls.

Around the corner, in plain view of the trio, came a large van. Out of the back of the vehicle stood a man brandishing a bazooka. He spotted Videl with the child and took aim, smirking maliciously. Without hesitation, he fired.

Time slowed. Videl watched from her crouched position as the explosive made its way closer to them. Her view was obscured as a figure darted in its path.

"Saiyaman! Don't…"

The explosion tossed Videl flat. She had enough sense to cover the girl with her body to protect her from the blast. As soon as the smoke cleared, Videl looked up.

Saiyaman was gone.

Videl felt panic settle in. _No… He can't be…_ She looked down to the girl in her arms. Poor Treesa was crying piteously. _No time to worry about him. I have to find Treesa's parents!_ She hurried off, praying to Kami that Saiyaman was alright.

* * *

><p>"Where is it?! Where is it?!" Gohan searched frantically. The helmet was nowhere to be seen. In the heat of the moment, Gohan had let the explosion wash over him, reveling in the feel of it. He knew that this mere explosive could do nothing to him. The urge to test himelf against it won out against his common sense and he let it hit him head on. But, unfortunately, his helmet was not suited for explosions. It tore clean off his head. He had dashed into the bushes after it, but this wasn't the time for stupid costume malfunctions!<p>

Squealing tires sounded out behind him, followed by shouts of fear and pain. He spun around. _Videl! _Gohan's search became more frantic. After a moment he let out a growl of frustration and powered up to super saiyan. "To hell with it!" He pulled of his armor and kicked off his boots. Shrugging out of his shirt, Gohan threw down his wristbands and armband. Better to help as the gold fighter than waste time looking for a stupid helmet!

Gohan zoomed back to the bank to find it in worse condition than he'd left it. The van that had shot at him cleared a path to the bank. Burly criminals were loading it up with bags of money as fast as they could move, ignoring the cops for the moment. However, the police were in no shape to fight back. They had been hit from behind and were still reeling from the shock.

Gohan grit his teeth as he saw Videl dash toward the van. _She doesn't know when to stop does she!? And where's Treesa!? _Gohan's ki flared higher as he fazed faster into fray, taking out two goons in the process. _I swear, if anyone hurts ONE HAIR on that kid's head…_ His face darkened and he took out another machine gun wielding moron. A gust of wind whipped up the dust around his feet from the ki that spiked erratically at the thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Videl take out the men loading the truck with ease. _No surprise there. She's always good at this sort of thing._ Gohan dodged a fist and 'gently' knocked another crook out cold. _In fact, besides my mom, she's the only other girl I know who fights so well. _He fazed in front of a few cops and caught bullets out of midair, sending them back to destroy the very guns that fired them. Not a bad tactic, though it might hurt their hands a bit. Gohan watched as Videl took out the crooks that held the very guns he just destroyed._. Probably just needs a little more training is all._ She launched herself into the air and gave a guy one heckuva roundhouse kick that sent him flying.

Landing with practiced ease, Videl finally noticed Gohan's presence. Her eyes widened comically upon recognition and her jaw dropped. Clear blue eyes raked up and down his body as he stood there. The saiyan teen felt a blush build on his face at her scrutiny. He couldn't help that he had to be shirtless when he was the gold fighter. However, this was no time for awkward feelings! Gohan fazed behind her and took out another criminal. He turned to see her wide blue eyes not 3 inches from his face.

"You! How did you…"

Gohan held up a hand, silencing her questions. He gestured to the cops behind her. Videl spun around and noticed the mess of cops and robbers. She took one last glance at Gohan before dashing down to help the injured. Gohan himself turned into the bank to clean up the rest of the bad guys. He was still a bit riled up and figured knocking a few goons around would help, no matter how weak they were.

Minutes later, after depositing the criminals on the front steps, he turned to see how things were shaping up. The police had called in an ambulance and Videl could be seen talking to the paramedics. Gohan used this opportunity to confront her about Treesa. How he was going to ask her would prove a little difficult. Gold Fighter was supposed to be the strong silent type.

Undeterred, he walked over to Videl and cleared his throat. She looked up and smiled.

"Hey!" Videl nodded to the paramedic and walked over to Gohan. "I'm glad to see you!"

Gohan raised his eyebrows. _Really?_

Videl nodded. "We were really in trouble back there. A lot of people got hurt this time around."

Gohan frowned and crossed his arms. _What about Treesa?_ Heightened ki caused warm wind to blow around him, ruffling Videl's pigtails.

"Don't worry though." She waved her hands. "No civilians were seriously hurt. We even found a little girl's parents…" Her voice trailed off as her eyes grew a little watery.

Gohan let out a sigh of relief and relaxed his stance. He noticed Videl's sad face and looked at her, concerned.

She caught his gaze and stuttered. "I… He…" Videl's eyes dropped to the ground. "S-saiyaman saved my life and… and he died." Surprise shone through Gohan's features. He tiled his head questioningly. _You think I died?_

Videl caught his look. "He… vanished after an explosion."

Gohan set a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, smiling in amusement.

"He's… not dead?" Videl looked up at him. She blew out her cheeks in relief as Gohan grinned broadly. "Thank Kami! I'd never let him live it down if he died after saving me." He stifled his laughter. _That's totally something you'd say Videl._ Videl looked up at him with thankfulness and admiration in her eyes. "Thank you, whoever you are."

Gohan felt something stir deep in his chest. Heart racing, he blushed and nodded to the blue eyed girl. The golden teen then lifted into the air and flew back to the park, feeling lighter than he had all day.

As he flew away, Gohan heard Videl shout. "Wait! How do you know he's not dead?!"

* * *

><p>AAAAAAAAND Part 2! MAN but that was a long chapter!<br>Let's welcome back Gold Fighter and special guest, the frisky Brief's household! *applause*  
>Also, a warm welcome to our first OC! *applause*<br>And please welcome back… Rough times for Gohan! *raucous applause*

Lotsa stoof happening around here, so hold yon horses till I can!  
>Thanks to those who have been reviewing! I really appreciate all your thoughts!<br>Read and Review for the good vibes and explosions!


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